Dollhouse
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: She was a doll. His doll. Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic and a bit like sin...Who said dolls couldn't have happy endings? *JALEX* An emotionally intense and realistic story. My best so far. Completed.
1. Prologue

(A/N: This is my best Jalex story so far, and it's my personal favorite so far, because it's angst, but not dark. I'm trying to make it as realistic, as serious and as emotionally intense as possible. PLEASE REVIEW. I have a lot of expectations from this.)

Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP, the songs I'll use in the beginning of some chapters, or any other thing mentioned in this story that belongs to someone else. LOL

*****

_**Prologue-The theme**_

House: A dwelling that serves as living quarter for one or more families.

Doll- house: A small model house used as a children's toy or to display miniature dolls and furniture.

****

In his eyes, this world is a collection of houses- doll-houses. Some are big, some are small, some are new, some are old, some are bright, some are dull, some are nice, and some are not.

In his eyes, all the people are just little dolls. Some are nice, some are mean, some are rude, some are kind, some are rich, some are poor, some are happy and some are sad.

In his eyes, life consisted of these dolls and their doll-houses. They played games called 'school', 'education', 'family', 'marriage', and that was a lot of fun.

He would look at his three year old little sister, smile and say, "**Who said dolls couldn't have happy endings?"**

Years passed, and things changed. His vision of doll-houses was replaced by that of real houses, and he could see that people weren't exactly as innocent as dolls.

But one thing never changed in his life: _**she was a doll. His doll. Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic and a bit like sin….**_

His life had begun the day he first met her. His world was painted with bright colors the first time she said his name. His lips tingled the first time she had kissed him. And his entire life had revolved around her. **She was the princess of his kingdom, the queen of his heart, the doll of his dollhouse…**

*****

"_Do you want a baby sister, Justin?" Theresa asked her one and a half year old son, gently caressing her growing belly._

"_Doll." He pouted, looking at his mother with puppy dog eyes._

"_Don't you want a nice little sister?" His mother tried again._

"_Doll." He repeated calmly, crossing his arms in front of him in a stubborn motion._

_His mother sighed and got up from the couch. "He'll get used to it soon." She whispered to her husband._

"_Yeah, he has to." He whispered back, smiling contently. "I can't believe I'll have my baby girl in just a few more months."_

"_Me neither." Theresa smiled back, patting his shoulder and looking at Justin again. She sat down on her knees to get to his level and gently took him in her arms. "Honey, once she is born, your life will be so much more fun. You'll have someone to play with."_

"_Dolly will play with me?" he asked in an excited tone, freeing himself from his mother's grasp and jumping up and down._

_Theresa sighed again. "He'll know when he meets her."_

"_Yeah." Jerry sighed too while smiling at his little boy's antics. _

_The smile on the little boy's face never faltered: he was waiting for the doll__**, his doll**__…. _

(A/N: Please rate and review and let me know what you think! Even if you don't like this prologue, _**please**_ give the first chapter one try. I promise you I won't let you down on this story.)

*****

(A/N:_**This story has a plot, but it'd mainly be centered around the theme.**_ PLEASE REVIEW. PRETTY PLEASE :-S And even if you don't like the prologue, please give chapter 1 a try, I won't disappoint you, trust me)


	2. Ch 1: The first four years

(A/N: Thanks a lot for the amazing response people. You guys are the best! This will be a 18-20 chapter story, depending on the number of reviews, so let's go slowly, shall we? :P This chapter focuses on the first four years of Alex's life and I've tried to make it really realistic. Let me know if I succeeded!)

Disclaimer: I am NOT the owner of a show named WOWP where the favorite fandom is non-canon :P LOL.

_**Chapter 1: The first four years **_

****

**The first time he saw her was the day she came home from hospital (after being born in Cab 804). He was just two year old then, and couldn't say big words like 'sister'. He doesn't remember anything about their first encounter, but his mom described the incident in every family gathering. **

"_Justin, come and see your baby sister." their father announced, leading him into the living room, where his mother was sitting, holding something in her hands. _

"_Sis-", Justin stumbled at the unfamiliar word and racked his brain to understand what the thing in his mother's hands was. His father picked him up and placed him next to his mother at the couch. He saw his mother coo at that thing, and he leaned in curiously._

_It was almost his hands length, with brown curious eyes staring at him and a thin carpet of hair in her head. He tried to gently touch it, but it stopped him when it caught his finger in its tiny hand. Their parents cooed at how adorable the moment was. He smiled and looked at them. "__Dolly. My dolly__."_

**Now, when he sees the home videos, he has no doubt: **_**she was a doll. His doll**_**. (And Alex still says how glad she is that Justin couldn't convince their parents to name her Dolly. "That's just lame.")**

****

_**One-year**_

_When she was a one-year old (wailing, annoying) child, he noticed that her feeding bottle and baby crib were a lot cuter than his. But when she smiled at him like a __little doll__, his jealousy subsided, and he didn't mind anymore. _

"_Do you want to hold her Justin?" their mother asked softly._

_Justin nodded enthusiastically and opened his arms. _

_His mother smiled kindly and handed it to him. "Be careful. She's still little."_

_He watched in wonder as he held the tiny __doll__ in his tiny hands. It was heavy, it kicked a lot, and soon started to cry and open its arms towards his mother. She quickly told the doll back from him, and he fought back the tears in his eyes._

"_Mama?" the doll had said, and his mother shed a few tears in happiness. His dad came running too, and smiled at the adorable moment. He grumbled for a whole week about how he missed to videotape his little daughter's first word. They were ready though when she said "dada". _

_And Justin wondered when she would talk to him. It was so hard to wait! He wasn't sure if she would call him 'mama' or 'dada' or something else. "You're her brother, Justin." His parents said, but he wasn't exactly sure what 'brother' meant.  
_

"_Justee?" she finally asked a few weeks later. His name was Justin, but well, close, close enough. He smiled at her. "Alex. My Alex."_

**(Alex elbows him when they watch the home video. "That's the cheesiest thing you've ever said in your life." **

"**You made fun of my name from the moment you learnt to say things." He teases back. She smiles deviously and admires herself for starting her life's mission from such an early age.)**

****

_**Two years**_

**When she was two and he was four (big boy), Max was born. All the attention of the parents shifted to the youngest child, which forced them to bond with each other. **

"_Do you want to color with me?" he offered sweetly, as he held up his new crayons and coloring book to her. _

_She nodded enthusiastically and took it from him. She gave the sky three strokes of dark_ _red, and the grass one long stroke of blue, before picking up the black crayon and drawing haphazardly in circle-like motions, and finally, after two minutes, decided to tear up the useless book._ **("See, books were your enemy from the minute you were born", he says.) **

_Justin shed a few tears as his favorite book was destroyed in front of his eyes._ **("Yeah, and you cried for books from the second you were born." She snaps back.)**

"_Just-in..." little Alex asked, confused, "you-otay..?"_

_Justin turned towards her, wiped his eyes quickly and smiled. "I'm fine. That was a lovely drawing," he said, pointing to the rubbish painting she had just created (and destroyed)._

_Alex smiled proudly and tried to run up to his arms. She had learnt to walk a few months back, but she tripped at the crayon box and fell down. The apartment was soon filled with shouts and crying, and Justin received his scolding for not watching over his little sister properly. _

"_He not bad." Little Alex defended him through her tears as her mother applied some cream on her wound. "Me bad. Me run to him." _**("I'm so glad dad didn't video-tape that. At least you can't prove to anyone that I cared for you. Ew." She scrunches up her nose in disgust, to emphasize how much she hates him now.)**

_Justin looked at her through tear-filled eyes. She smiled at him through her own tears._

_*****  
_

_She was growing up, becoming somewhat tall and her hair became a lot more thick and curly. But she was still a baby _**("and always will be"),**_ and she cried at midnights, waking up Max in the process and making him cry as well. _

_Theresa found the perfect solution soon: she made Alex share a room with Justin (convenient). It was pretty (very) annoying at first, because he was learning addition and subtraction, and he didn't have time to baby-sit __his doll__. But when she woke up at the middle of the dark night, terrified by another nightmare, and crept into his bed with him, it felt nice. He cuddled her and comforted her. "Ghosts can't hurt you Lex. You're with me now." _**("What about a pony Justin? Will you protect me from that?" she teases now, elbowing him.)**

_She fell asleep again soon, with her tiny arms still wrapped around his tiny shoulder. When he looked at her face, covered by strands of black curls hanging loose from the tiny ponytail, he couldn't help but smile. She looked perfectly like a doll. __His doll__. _

****

_**Three years**_

_Since birth she had always been playing with cuddly teddy bears, and he had always been playing with her. The first doll she received was on her third birthday. It was a nice girly doll with blonde hair, but honestly, he preferred brunettes. He wondered what exactly his sister would do with it. She just shoved the doll at one corner of their closet and went back to playing with him and his toy cars._

"_Don't you like that doll?" he asked, surprised by her cold attitude towards it. Girls at his play school loved dolls. (Yeah, she wasn't like the other girls. She was different, she was special.)_

_Alex simply shrugged. "It's pretty, but now as pretty as me."_

_He smiled, agreeing with her. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen- she was a doll. His doll._

_Things remained this way, until a day came when she caught sight of her mother breast feeding their youngest sibling. She examined the scene carefully and went back to her room. That was the first time her doll saw the light of the day. He watched in awe and wonder, as his little sister pretended to breast feed her doll. He smiled as a sense of happiness and pride overwhelmed him. She'd be such a perfect mother. _

****

_**Four years**_

_Making a four-year old (or of any other age for that matter) Alex do something against her will was always tough. But the hardest part for the (poor, innocent, victimized) six year old boy was making her take a bath. Yet, when their parents were busy with Max and the sub-station, he really didn't have a choice. (Baths are healthy for you). _

"_Come on Alex, please, get in." He pleaded as he helped her shed her cute pick frock. _

_He pushed his unclothed sister into the bath tub, and tried to grab a towel._

"_NO!" She yelled as she stubbornly shook her head, crossed her arms in front of her bare chest and stomped her feet in the tub, splashing some water on her brother's clothes in the process. (Sisters are born annoying, he is sure). "I want my dolly to bath with me too." She demanded._

_He sighed and nodded as he went to his room to fetch her doll (And maybe some dry clothes for him too). _

****

**He smiles at the memory now. The complete innocence of childhood doesn't trigger his guilt like his teenage hormonal actions do. **

**Who knew baby Alex was such a girl? But no, she wasn't a girl. **_**She was a doll. His doll.**_

*****_**  
**_

(A/N: I know it's short, but I'm splitting up their childhood into five short chapters, otherwise it's becoming too long. REVIEW FOR FASTER UPDATE. Next up: first chapter of "Something greater.")

(IMPORTANT: I'm changing my pen name to 'Not just a Nerd', so don't get confused. :P)


	3. Ch 2: Year five

(A/N: Thanks for the hits and reviews and alerts! Here's chapter two, and it won't disappoint you. I've used quite a few show references in this. I'm sure you'll be able to pick them out**. Just for clarification, the words in italics aren't home videos, they are Justin's memories, with adult/older Justin and Alex's comments in bold**. Personally, I like this format of writing a lot.)

Disclaimer: don't own the show or the characters or the show references or the song in the beginning- just the original plot and storyline.

_*****_

_**Chapter 2: year 5**_

"_This distance…_

_This distance between paths,_

_This distance between eyes,_

_This distance between companions, _

_Let this distance end…_

_Nobody knows why someone is near while someone is far._

_Am I moving closer or farther apart?_

_I don't know where I am…"_

_-An approximate translation of 'Yeh doorian' from Love Aaj Kal _

_(It's an AMAZING Hindi song). _

_****_

_**Five years**_

_On her fifth birthday, she received a doll house as present. She danced around their house all week, showing everyone her new male doll again and again. _

"_Look at him, Justin. Isn't he cute? Don't you like him?" she asked, smiling enthusiastically, while she combed the black hair of the new doll._

_He didn't like it. He never liked it when another boy (or boy doll in this case) got her attention. "Yeah, he's great." He lied, just to make his little sister happy. _**("I still can't believe Prince Honest used to lie for me." She says to Max when he visits them on weekends.) **

"_Do you want to play with him?" she offered sweetly, straightening the clothes on the doll. _

_He shook his head and denied. "No. You play with him. __I'll play with you__."_

"_Okay." She giggled, gave a quick peck on his cheek and walked out of his room to dance around the house again, still holding onto her precious little doll._

_There was a strange feeling in his mind and body as he suddenly felt angry and hurt at the same time. (Years later, he understood it was 'jealousy'.)_

_But when she named her dolls 'Alex' and 'Justin' he finally felt secure. __He would never lose her. She'd always be his. His doll. _

_****_

_When she was five and he was seven, they watched television together, while Max hopped around their parents. Max never went near them, especially Justin, because Alex did not want him __**anywhere**__ near __**her**__ Justin (and we all know how sneaky Alex is). In fact, she convinced Max that Justin was their butler. _

_He loved watching discussions on science and history, but she always fell asleep half-way through it. So he decided not to watch those while she was around (and she was with him all day, so, yeah, goodbye!) _

_He was watching 'Tom and Jerry' (again) while she whined and complained about how much she hated silent comedy. _

"_Please change the channel Justin. Please." She pleaded as she shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. _

_He ignored her pouting and continued to keep his eyes glued on the cat and the mouse in the screen in front of him. She continued to yawn (boring) and watch half-heartedly, all the while thinking of the perfect way to get back at him. _

_They were still little kids, and they had still not started fighting (like the cat and the mouse, or Battle Diva and Destroyenator) for the remote. She was nothing like him, but she always did follow his lead, and let him watch what he wanted. _

_Suddenly he heard her cry out in pain. He stared, shocked, as she clutched her left ear and tears stained her cheeks. _

"_What's wrong Alex?" he asked, turning off the television set immediately and engulfing her in a hug._

"_My ear, it's aching." She groaned as she clung onto his arms tightly and cried._

_He knew she wasn't acting, and that freaked him out even more. Their mother came running soon and took her in her arms, whispering soothing words in Spanish (that none of them understood). Their father called up the doctor and wrote down the names of some medicines. Justin was asked to put Max to sleep (which was a tough job, but okay, he can handle it) and then go to his own bed. He obeyed, but he couldn't fall asleep. _

_Alex was put into bed after a few more hours. _

"_Where's Justin?" she asked her mom sleepily. _

"_He's sleeping right next to you, honey." Their mother replied softly, kissed her forehead and said goodnight. Then she kissed Justin's forehead (assuming he was asleep) and left their room, closing the door behind her. _

_Alex turned around to face Justin. "I know you're awake." She whispered. (Hello, she's been living with him for five years! She knows him all too well! He's totally predictable, really.)_

"_You feeling better?" he turned around and asked her softly. _

_She nodded as she looked into his tear-filled eyes. "You were crying." She stated, as she saw the look of fear and concern in his eyes, and quickly engulfed him in a tight embrace (because okay, she was scared too.)_

"_Shhh. You'll be fine. I've got you." he whispered as he hugged back just as tightly, to assure himself that __his little doll__ was fine. _

"_I know." She whispered back as she cried into her brother's favorite tee-shirt. "I hate the medicines." She complained._

_He sighed. "I know, but you have to take them. You need them." _

_She sighed as she finally ended the hug and turned around. "I guess."_

_For some reasons, his arm ached the minute they lost contact with her, so he turned to her side and put an arm around her waist innocently._

_She smiled as placed her small hand above his larger one. She closed her eyes, finally feeling __secure__ and __protected__. _

_*****_

_Their parents decided that she was old enough to get her own room (or too old to sleep in her brother's room). So a few days later, she got her own room. She danced around the house in happiness, decorating her room the way she wanted, and telling everyone how happy she was that she wouldn't have to look at math tables just after waking up. He wiped a few tears secretly as she removed her favorite clothes and her not-so-favorite books from his room. There was a sort of emptiness in his room, and it was not because of the lack of her things. It was the lack of her- her smell, her feel, her everything. And then her doll house was shifted, and he felt someone stab him right in the core of his heart. _

"_You like my room?" she asked as she grabbed his hand and forcefully pulled him into her room._

_He looked around for a moment and shrugged. "Yeah, it's pretty nice."  
_

"_Thanks." She giggled and pecked his cheek lightly. _

_He went around the room and found a new picture by her bed-side. It was a picture of him with her, taken in a park. He smiled, thankful that she decided to keep a bit of him in her room._

_He returned back to his room to find the same photo placed in his study desk in another photo-frame. He ran his hands through it, and finally decided to clutch it and sleep for the night. _

_He found it impossible to fall asleep alone that night; he couldn't remember a night without her by his side. His bed felt empty, his heart felt hollow, and for the first time in his life, he found the darkness of the night scary. He never used the night-light before, because she couldn't sleep with the light on _**("And she still can't")**_, but he decided to switch it on for the night, because hey, she wasn't there. _

_After hours of crying, he somehow managed to drift into a sleep full of dreams. __There were two dolls, their dolls, playing with each other in the park, until two hands reached out to them and pulled them apart._

_When he woke up the next morning, sweating and panting, he was terrified to find that the night light was switched off _**("Just admit it Justin, you were scared because you thought it was a ghost." She still coaxes him. "Alex, ghosts aren't scientific, and I never had any unscientific, irrational fears." He still denies.) **_He turned around and found her sleeping by his side in his bed in his room. He smiled. She looked like a doll when she slept innocently__. She would always be a doll. His doll. _

"_You should stop sleeping here. Mom is going to scold us if she finds out." He argued when she woke up. _

"_Why would she scold us? I've slept with you before." She replied innocently._

"_Because she doesn't want you to stay here!" He reasoned._

"_Why not?" she challenged._

"_I don't know, okay?" He snapped. "I just know that we can get into trouble, and I don't want that." He replied softly._

"_I don't care." She snapped, sticking out her tongue at him._

_And for once, he didn't either. _

**("It's like people have this misconception that I'm the one always breaking the rules." She still rants sitting idly in the kitchen while he washes the dishes. "You are just as guilty as me on this one. And I'm telling this story to mom next time we visit her." She threatens. "Yeah, like you told the last time when she found out you broke the vase when you were three, or the time before that when she found out you used magic to do your chores when you were nine." He teases, grinning at her.) **

_*****_

_He was sitting in the living room couch, still crying over his lost dog. "I don't understand mom. Why did you let the pizza guy take Willie out for a walk?" _

"_Honey, I'm sorry." His mother apologized, running her hands through his neatly combed hair, but that did nothing to cheer him up._

_She had been watching the scene for the past one and a half hour, yet not saying a single word for some reason. _**("I should have known it was you." He glares at her now, still holding a grudge for losing his dog. "And they say I'm the one who knows how to hold a grudge." she mumbles sarcastically)**

"_Justin?" she asked timidly. _

_He finally looked at her. "Yeah?" he sobbed. _

"_You still have me." She said, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Now you'll have more time to play with me." _

_He shook his head, letting a few more tears flow. "Don't you miss Willie?"_

"_Yes, I miss him too", she lied, biting her lip. "But I still have you." _

"_Willie!" he cried again and stormed into his room, leaving her crying and alone._

**("Okay, **_**technically**_**, I didn't leave you **_**alone**_**. You were with mom." He still argues whenever she accuses him for such cold attitude. "I was upset, and you totally deserved that." He defends himself.)**

_*****_

"_Hey", he whispered as she walked into his room at night._

"_Yeah?" she asked, staring at her brother in horror. He was sitting on his bed, clutching his pillow tightly to his chest, looking at the floor where Willie used to sleep, and still crying._

_She sighed and climbed in. "Justin, you have to let this go. Stop crying."  
_

_He shook his head, wiping his tears. "I'm not crying." _

"_Yeah, right." she retorted._

"_It's my allergies." He lied, putting the pillow on her side. "You should go to sleep. It's past your bed-time." _

"_What about you? It's past your bed-time too." She pointed out, resting her head on the pillow. _

"_I can't sleep." He sobbed. "I miss Willie." _

_She groaned in frustration, grabbed his collar and pulled him into the bed beside her. "You have school tomorrow. You don't wanna miss school, do you?" _

"_No." He sniffled, pulling up his comforter and covering her up till her shoulders. "Alex?"_

"_Hmm?" she asked, pulling the comforter down till her waist. _**("It was a freaking hot summer night!" she still shouts.) **

"_I'm sorry…" he apologized, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. _

"_For what?" she asked in confusion._

"_For leaving you like that in the living room earlier……You won't run away like Willie, right?" he asked, the uncertainty in his voice shaking her to the core. _

"_No… __I'll never leave you__." She promised, burying her face in his chest. "__**Never ever ever."**_

_He smiled through his tears at the determination in her muffled words and finally felt relieved. __He would never lose her. She would always be his. His doll. _

_*****_

(A/N: I hope I've been able to capture the emotions properly. Alex and Justin are going to get more and more in character as they grow up and my chapters proceed. More reviews= faster update. I'll update whenever I reach 35 reviews, otherwise, next update in May something…)


	4. Ch 3: Six years

(A/N: Thanks a lot for the amazing response guys, you all are amazing! Now it's my turn to keep my promise. So here's chapter 3. BTW, I think none of you know Hindi, but you can trust me with the translations, it's one of my favorite languages. Oh, and just for clarification, **they will be a couple in the end, after going through the usual angst and trouble that I give them. And no, no one will turn out to be adopted**.)

Disclaimer: I don't own WOWP, except in my dreams :P and yeah, the "I tease you and taunt you …but you love me anyway" dialog is from the movie.

"It seemed like a distance of miles,

It seemed like a path of centuries,

My heart was uncertain about what would happen,

But I still believe that

We were destined to meet."

-An approximate translation of

'Meelon Ka Jaise Tha Fasla' from 'Love story 2050'

_**Chapter 3: Six years**_

_When she was six, their fighting began, and he hated it. Dolls never fought with their owners, but __his doll__ always did. _**("Would you just stop calling me a doll?" she whines in frustration now, whenever he's walking down the memory-lane. "You were a doll." He smiles.) **

_Their parents were working at the sub-station, leaving the three kids alone upstairs. They were having an argument again. Alex had decided that her doll wouldn't go to school and refused to play with Justin, who insisted that __schooling is necessary for a child's whatever and bla bla bla bla bla.__ So he had bought an action figure and started playing with it_**. ("Which eight year old boy plays with his sister and her dolls, anyway?" He defends himself now.) **

_She whined and yelled about how much she hated his doll. "Your __**doll**__ is the ugliest doll I've ever seen."_

_He glared at her and yelled back. "It's an __**action figure**__, not a doll." _

_Their argument was getting heated again, none willing to back out and accept defeat. At that moment, Max came out of nowhere and started running away with her favorite 'Justin' doll. She ran after him, shouting at the top of her voice. (__Nobody__ touches __'Justin '__.) Suddenly, she tripped on one of Max's toys and fell. _

_She was a big strong girl, she never cried, _**("At least not in front of people, and Justin doesn't count, because I am convinced that no human can be that weird. Okay maybe Max but... oh you get the point!"**)._ Her knees and elbows were bruised, and tears were brimming in her chocolate orbs. _

_He panicked, but attending those first-aid classes at school really helped. He ran up to her and quickly picked her up. He cleaned her wounds with cotton and antiseptic, and applied band aid, while she sobbed silently. _

"_Feeling better?" he asked softly as he kissed the band-aid on her left knee. _

_She smiled brightly, wiped her eyes and nodded. She wiped her hands on his shirt (and he didn't complain) and got up._

"_Can you walk?" he asked tentatively. _

"_Let me see." She said, feeling unsure herself. She took a step forward, lost balance and instinctively grabbed his hand for support. _**("She does that on purpose now-a-days, when we go shopping. It's the only way we can hold hands in public." He says sadly.)**

_He immediately put an arm around her shoulder protectively. "Let me help you." He offered her, as he glanced at an almost-crying Max. "Stay here buddy; I'll come back in a second." He smiled at his little brother before returning his attention to his sister._

_They entered her room and he helped her climb on the bed. _**("No, it was my room!" He protests. "See, your memory is fading. You're definitely growing old." She retorts.)**

"_Does it hurt?" he asked softly, motioning at her knees with his eyes._

"_Not anymore", she shook her head for emphasis as she replied in a faint tone. "Thanks, Justin."_

"_Hey, it's all right." He assured her with a smile. "I'm your big brother. It's kind of my job." _

_The tears that were threatening to fall finally fell from her eyes. _

"_Alex?" he asked skeptically, his eyebrows creased in concern as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. "What's wrong?"_

"_I… I'm sorry…" she sobbed as she threw her arms around his shoulders. "I shouldn't have been fighting with you like that Justin…You're the best brother ever. __I tease you and I taunt you, and I make your life miserable, but you love me anyway…"_

"_Shh...It's okay..." he soothed as he hugged her back, feeling relieved about the fact that their fighting was over. "Let's just forget about this, okay?"_

_She nodded, pulling away from him after a few minutes and rolling over to the other side._

_He smiled to himself as he left the room. __She would always be a doll. His doll._

**("Why am I the one tripping and falling in all your stories?" she complains. "Umm, because, you were born clumsy?" he snaps playfully.) **

* * *

_He was a good brother, he never scolded his siblings, unless absolutely necessary. So all Max had to endure was a ten minute lecture on how much they should love their sister and why they should never annoy her. _**("Really?" Max still asks in confusion. "I thought Justin was just talking about sandwiches.")**_ He took his words back a few months later though, when she stole his favorite action figure. _

"_Alex! What were you thinking? Stealing is a horrible thing. Why would you steal other people's stuff?" he scolded, crossing his arms in front of his chest._

_She rolled her eyes (eye roll begins at age six, welcome sarcasm) and pointed out that she was stealing __his__ things. "You are not other people. __You're mine__." _

_He couldn't help but smile at her words. __She was still a cute little doll. __**His doll**__._

_And he belonged to her too..._

**("Justin that's cheesy.") **

**

* * *

**_He told her he was too old to play with her dolls. She agreed (except for the part where she defined 'old' as 'boring') and added that she was too old too (and this time she meant old). So her doll house found its place in their basement. But she kept her Justin and Alex dolls with her. It was a secret- their secret. They were the only two persons who knew. _

_And that was how keeping secrets from their parents began. He never even imagined that he'd be keeping such a huge secret some day…. _

_

* * *

_"_Justin, help me." she blurted out with __tear filled eyes__, as she entered his room with a book in her hand. _

"_Sure thing." He smiled as he wiped her tears from her eyes __before they could even fall__. "Let me see." He said as he motioned her to enter his room._

_Alex sat down on his bed and handed him the book. "That's my homework." She pointed at a particular part of a particular page. _

"_You actually have been paying attention in class?" he asked, shocked to see that she was well aware about what was her homework._

_She shrugged. "There's this girl Harper at my school. She's been helping me out a lot. I think I'm gonna make her my best friend." she announced proudly and smiled._

_He nodded and looked away to hid his tears _**("Allergies." He mumbles.) **_He had always been her best friend, ever since she was born, but now, that place was going to be occupied by someone else. He didn't know this Harper, but he was sure he wouldn't __**ever **__like her. __Nobody takes away __**his doll**__ from him. _

_

* * *

Justin's action figure went missing again, and he cried for days. When he found it, it looked like a stuffed toy, half-eaten by a dog. He knew whom to blame._

"_Why did you do this Alex?" he sobbed. _

"_It was an accident." She pouted._

"_Look what you did." he said, holding up the destroyed action figure to her, while his mother ran a hand through his hair soothingly to calm him down. _

"_I'm… sorry?" she apologized, as she bit her lip. _**("That was the last time she apologized to me… till a long time later." He says sadly. "Ah-ah, correction, that was the last time I apologized to ****anyone****." She says smugly.) **

_His body shook as he looked at the action figure again, and anger flowed through his veins. Before he could control himself, he screamed and yelled at her about how much he hated her. She screamed and yelled back about how much she hated him. There was the slamming of two doors. And from that night, she stopped sleeping with him._

_By midnight, he was disgusted with himself. The guilt and pain wouldn't leave him alone. He shouldn't have shouted at her like that. Maybe it wasn't her fault, maybe she didn't do it on purpose? _**("I was just playing with it because I was curious, okay?" She now says.)**_ He sighed as he crept out of his room and went to see her. He found her curled up in her bed, eyes closed tightly, clutching her favorite 'Justin' doll. _

"_I'm sorry Alex." He whispered, sensing she was awake._

"_Go away." She hissed, turning over to the other side. _

_He just stood there by the side of her bed, unsure about what to say to make everything better again. Two minutes of silence later, he realized they were both crying._

"_You know I don't hate you... you know I love you." He sobbed. And that melted her heart. _

"_I love you too." She tried to smile, but failed miserably. _

_He kissed her cheek softly and she finally giggled, pulling him into a hug. _

_He looked at her. She looked just like a doll whenever he held her in his arms. __She was a doll. __**His doll…**_

_

* * *

They were going to visit their grandmother, and everyone was getting ready. He was sitting with Max and his father in the living room, when he suddenly heard her scream._

"_I don't want to wear a pink frock!" she yelled, storming down the stairs._

"_Alex! Alex!" Their mother called after her, running down with the pink dress still in her hands. "Come back here! You're not ready yet!" _

"_And I never will be unless you let me wear something else." She said, running over to their father. "Daddy, I don't want to wear that thing. It's ugly."  
_

"_No it's not." Their mother protested, "It's beautiful… what's wrong with you Alex? You used to love pink." _

"_Well I don't anymore!" she snapped, clinging onto their father. "Daddy, please help me."_

"_Yeah, Theresa, let her wear whatever she wants", Jerry said, but stopped when he saw his wife glaring at him. "You know what Alex… maybe your mother is right. You should wear that dress. It's not so bad."_

_She groaned and pulled away from her father, and decided to move to her next shelter- __a shelter that'll always be there, a plan that'll always work__. "Justin!" she sobbed as she ran into his arms. "Please help me!"_

"_Come on Alex, we're getting late." Their mother said in a frustrated tone. _

"_What do you want to wear?" he asked her softly. _

"_I want to wear that pant that doesn't fit you anymore…" she declared proudly._

"_Alex!" Their mother scolded again. "Why do you want to wear that thing instead of this beautiful dress?" She demanded, holding up the dress for emphasis._

"_Because it's Justin's and I love it?" she said as she finally pulled away from him and looked in his eyes, searching for support. _

"_You want me to fight with mom for you?" he whispered to her. She nodded instantly. _

"_Alex, you know I can't argue with mom.. children must always obey their parents." He whispered again, but stopped when he saw her glaring at him, __the same way their mother was glaring at their father two minutes back. _

_And it worked. "Please mom, let her wear whatever makes her comfortable." He pleaded, looking at their mother._

"_All right." Their mother sighed in defeat, because unless she gave up, no one was going anywhere. "Come on Alex. Go and get dressed now."_

"_Yes!" Alex jumped in joy as she got up, and smiled as she ran up the stairs. _

"_You're a crazy little girl, you know that?" he told her during the cab ride. _

"_But you say I'm a doll?" She pouted playfully at him._

_He just smiled to himself. __**She would always be a doll. His doll…**_

(A/N: my next target is 50 reviews. I have a surprise for you in the next chapter. I'm finally moving into the next line of my theme ;) so yeah, review for faster update. And BTW, if I ever fail to update anything for a really long time, just know it's my stupid internet connection.)


	5. Ch 4: The first touch of sin

(A/N: Thank you for all the reviews guys. Hi to the new reviewers. Sorry I took so many hours to update. I met *someone* and obviously I was upset. So I ended up writing another angsty drabble. It's called 'Piece of Meat.')

(Disclaimer: I do not own the show, or the song I'm using in the beginning.)

//////

{"Your soft eye-lids flutter because of dreams.

Memories rush back to me…

Tickling you, teasing you, while you slept…

Pinching and caressing your cheeks without any reason…

…. I have fallen in love for the first time,

I have fallen in love for the last time."}

-an approximate translation of 'Pehli baar mohabbat ki hain' from 'Kaminey'.

This is sung by Mohit Chauhan, my favorite singer! 3

_////////_

_**Chapter 4: The first touch of sin**_

_**Seven years**_

_By the time she was seven, they all knew she was going to be a spoilt little girl. She began neglecting her studies, spending most of the time in pulling pranks on her older brother. She made fun of him and science whenever she could. _

"_Your shirt looks like they have been taken from an underground coal mine. How much did it cost you? 100 dollars?" she teased._

"_Coal mines are always underground Alex." He replied in a teasing tone, looking all too smug. _(A/N: I'm not sure about this one. But hey, since Justin is just 9, he is allowed to be wrong.)

_He mocked back most of the time, but it was hurting him. __His doll__ was pushing him away, and he didn't know why. "She's growing up Justin." Their mother would reason, but his heart still ached. He thought they'd grow up together, not farther away from each other like this. _

_//////_

"_Why are you pushing me away Alex?" he asked, eyes still focused on his geography book that he wasn't reading._

_She shrugged and rolled over to the other side of the bed. "I'm not pushing you away. I've just been busy with other stuff." _

"_What other stuff?" he raised an eyebrow, finally looking up from the book that was still upside down. _

"_Gosh, you're just my brother, not my dad." She snapped and went back to digging her nails. _

"_I know." He replied calmly, "I'm your brother. And it's my job to look after you." _

_She glared at him for a moment and shrugged, finally opening her books and starting with her homework._

"_Please Alex, tell me what's wrong." He pleaded frantically, getting up from his desk and moving towards her. "Are you mad at me? What did I do wrong? Please tell me!"_

"_No, you didn't do anything wrong." She assured, while crumbling a wasted paper from her notebook and tossing it in the dustbin. "You are my brother, and everyone says sisters should always fight with their brothers."_

"_Who says this?" he asked, already hating whoever did._

"_Everyone." She shrugged. _

"_Names Alex." He ordered sternly, fixing his gaze on her face. _

"_Sarah, Jane, Amy, Emily, Jessica, Jean, Katherine…" she replied, skipping out the other ten names. _

"_You don't need to listen to them." He said, looking at her hopefully, with his eyes begging her to understand him. "You don't need to fight with me…" _

"_Yes I do!" she snapped, making a face. "There's so much fun in fighting with you!"_

_He sighed and returned to the book again, finally noticing it had been upside down the whole time. He wasn't a bad student, but this was what her presence did to him. _

_///////_

_Their mother and father were gone with their little brother for a movie. They stayed back, alone, in the house because he had homework, and she didn't want to see another animal movie, and well, he convinced them that he was old enough to baby sit himself and __his doll__. _

"_Don't kill your brother Alex." Their father warned. "Don't break my lamp, or vase, or anything else." Their mother warned. _

"_Relax guys, we'll be fine", she promised as they left. _

"_This is going to be easy then" he said, closing the door, smiling at her and he went to his study table._

_She made it hard though. She poked his arm with his spare pencil and kicked his feet under the table every other minute. _

"_Alex, I'm trying to concentrate." He said after fifteen minutes, finally feeling frustrated. _

_She smiled, relishing her success at annoying him (again). "I know, duh?"_

_He groaned and looked at her. "What is it this time? What do you want?"_

"_I'm bored." She declared, crossing her arms in front of her. _

_He sighed. Maybe it was a bad idea to baby-sit her after all. He looked at her and saw her looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes. He knew what that meant; she used this on him every day, after all. "You want to watch TV?" he asked softly. _

_She nodded and headed for the couch to capture the remote first._

_For once they agreed on something- they decided to watch the same cartoon. _

"_I can't believe I'm watching cartoons with you instead of studying." He said, sighing dramatically._

_She simply rolled her eyes at him and increased the volume of the television set, while playfully placing her legs in his lap._

_He glared at her but kept quiet. He was scared that if he pushed her feet away, she'll push him further away from herself. _

_They were really enjoying the cartoon, smiling all the time and laughing together. Everything was going fine, until the dark-haired boy and the dark-haired girl on the screen kissed. _

_Alex sat up. _

_Time froze. The air in the room changed. Something strange overtook his mind, as his heart started hammering against his chest._

_Justin tensed and panicked. He looked at Alex. Her lips looked soft, full and inviting. She looked like a doll. __**His doll**__. _

_Before he could understand what was happening, she leant in. __**Her lips**____**tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic… and a bit like sin (just like it does, till this day).**__ It lasted two seconds, during which he was too shocked to respond or to push her away. She pulled back from him, satisfied. But the alarms in his head were already ringing, asking him to run away. _

_But he was Justin; he faced problems- ("_**that's what mature people do**_"). He looked at her sternly. He was old enough to understand it was wrong (though he still couldn't figure out why). _

"_Alex, don't ever do this again." He warned, trying and failing to sound stern. _**("Like I'd ever listen to you? Yeah, right." She scoffs. "I was hoping?" he snaps.). **

_She shrugged and went back to watching TV. For her, it was just an experiment, a curiosity of a seven-year old mind and… something that she had wanted to do for a long time. She was back to her (annoying devious) self in about ten seconds, but for him, something changed, __something had shifted somewhere in his heart. But he couldn't figure it out at that time (because a nine year old boy doesn't exactly understand the concept of falling in love.)__ He chose to ignore it for the better, and he succeeded (well, most of the time)._

_///////_

_She was being daddy's little princess again. "I don't like carrots. I won't eat them." _

_After thirty minutes of reasoning, yelling and threatening, their parents finally gave up. "She's all yours Justin." They declared as they went over to Max's room (to figure out what was seeping from it.)_

"_Don't make me call you names, dork." Alex warned. _

"_I don't need to __make you__. You __already__ do that." Justin retorted._

_Alex opened her mouth to protest (or maybe do something else) and that's when he shoved a spoonful of carrot in. _

_She looked like she would throw up, and Justin allowed himself to panic for a moment. _

_Finally the carrot went down her throat and she hit him with all her might. "You're toast when I get even with you. You'd be so sorry for-"_

_Before she could even complete her sentence, another spoonful went into her mouth. And the rest of the dish was utilized to spoil his favorite tee-shirt. _

_After that incident, she was grounded for the first time in her life. "You need to learn to respect your brother." _

_She stopped talking to him. Not even hate words were exchanged. And it killed him. He felt completely lost and insane. The distance between them just kept on increasing, and sometimes he just wished that he had magic so that he could change everything…_

_////// _

"_Still mad at me?" he asked, fidgeting, as he sat on the side of her bed. _

"_Duh." She rolled her eyes and went back to combing her hair. _

"_I'm sorry Alex." He sighed. _

"_I'm sorry Alex." She mimicked him and went back to ignoring him again. (She stopped apologizing after the fight when he told her he hated her, remember?) _

_He hated this. He missed __**his doll**__. _

"_Please forgive me?" he pleaded._

"_Why should I?" she yelled. "You're always being the perfect little boy and showing mom and dad how spoilt I am. You're always running around to tell on me."_

"_I'm sorry about that." he sighed as he walked up to her, grabbed her chin with his left hand and forced her to look at him. "But please understand this, whatever I do is for your good." He grabbed her hands with his right hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. "I'm looking out for __**my doll**__."_

_She nodded and pouted. "But you're always getting me into trouble with mom and dad."_

"_And I'm also getting you out of trouble." He pointed out._

_She nodded again and smiled. _

"_So, do you forgive me?" he asked again._

"_If I saw no, will you buy me a car?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and studying his face._

_He stared at her in disbelief for a few moments and then shook his head. "No, nothing like that. You're not old enough to drive or own a car."_

"_Fine." She stomped her feet angrily. "you're forgiven, dork. Now get out of my room." _

_He smiled, gently kissing her cheek. "Thanks."_

"_No, Justin, don't do that please!" she whined, pulling away, "I'm too old to be treated like a kid." _

"_I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I won't repeat this, I promise."_

_She nodded as he ran into his arms. "Just hugs, okay?"_

"_Okay." He agreed as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder._

_He was slowly getting used to this distance; he was slowly realizing that even when she pushed him away, he was still near her heart. He was slowly understanding that they would be fighting all the time, but at the end of the day, she'd come back into his arms and their fights would end. He was finally convinced that __**she'd always be his doll…. Who said dolls couldn't have happy endings (to their fights)? **_

(A/N: I hope you liked the surprise kiss. More reviews= faster update. My next target is 65 reviews. But the latest I can update is Monday my time. You know I usually don't hold up for reviews and update late, it's just that this fanfic is my baby, it's my fav, and I have a lot of expectations for it, so sorry if I'm being mean.)

(Quick look at next chapter: Magic will be introduced in the next chapter. And yeah, that is the last chapter of their childhood. After that it's all angst XD)


	6. Ch 5: The first touch of magic

_(A/N: thanks for the amazing reviews guys. I'm so sorry for uploading this late, but my internet connection was down. I did tweet about it. Sad part? It'll happen again. Anyways, this chapter is the last of their childhood and I rewrote it to make it better. Enjoy the sweetness while it exists.)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the song I've used in the beginning._

"_Close your eyes, and open your heart._

_Believe in yourself._

_That's how it starts._

_Dreams will come true._

_Just wait and see._

_Cause the magic's in you,_

_And the magic's in me."_

_-Winx club opening theme. _

//////

_**Chapter 5: The first touch of magic**_

_**Eight years**_

_The three siblings were lying down in the terrace, below the beautiful night sky, looking at the stars and talking to themselves. _

"_What's that Justin?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder lazily and pointing at a particular direction in the sky. _

_He followed her hand and looked up, studying the stars. He then looked back at her and smiled. "It's a constellation. It's called Taurus." He replied in his know-it-all big brother voice._

"_It's beautiful" she said, looking at the stars in fascination. He nodded in agreement, looking at her beautiful face, tinted silvery by the moonlight, and whispered "Just like you are…"_

_She titled her head and looked at his face. "Did you just say something?" she asked, her eyebrows creased together in confusion._

"_No." he gulped, looking away. _

"_That's weird", she mumbled to herself as she fixed her gaze on the sky again. _

_He looked up at the sky too. He studied the star and the full moon. The night sky looked so beautiful, so peaceful, so endless… _

"_Sometimes I wish I could find out where the sky ends." He whispered softly._

"_Me too", she agreed as she ruffled her younger brother's hair._

"_Alex, you're spoiling my hair style." Little Max complained, getting up and away from her._

"_Look at that, little boy is worried about how he looks", Justin chuckled, "just yesterday you were walking around in diapers."  
_

_Alex laughed too, agreeing with him. "Relax Maxie, I was just cuddling you."_

"_I am not your teddy bear." Max protested standing up._

"_Yes, you are." Alex said with determination. _

"_Really?" Max asked, putting on his thinking face, and his older brother panicked as he saw the hundred questions coming in his direction. _

"_Justin, am I her teddy bear?" Max asked in confusion, and Alex couldn't hide the 'mission-annoy-Justin-using-Max-accomplished' grin from her face. _

_Justin glared at her and then turned towards Max. "Umm, no Max, not really."_

"_Of course he is!" Alex protested, smacking Justin playfully on the shoulder, "Fine Max, if you don't believe me, go and ask mom."_

_Max nodded and went downstairs, looking for their mother._

_Alex finally cracked up._

"_It's not funny Alex." He scolded, giving her a stern look. "He's your little brother. You shouldn't be messing with him all the time."_

"_Aww, look at that, isn't somebody really mad", she teased in her baby voice as she pinched his cheeks and annoyed him further._

"_Alex!" Justin scolded, wincing in pain as his cheeks hurt and pushed her hands away. _

_She just smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I love messing with my brothers… and I love pinching your cheeks." _

_He sighed and looked at the sky. "I'll let you pinch them when I start growing beard. We'll see who cries out in pain then."_

"_Yeah, right, that's __**years**__ away." She scoffed, emphasizing the word 'years'._

"_Not really" he said as he returned her hug, and smiled at her. "We are growing up Alex."_

"_We are growing up Alex." She mimicked and went back to looking at the sky. "Dork."_

_After a few minutes of silence, she finally spoke. "Wouldn't it be so cool if we had a magic carpet? We could totally ride through the sky and find out where it ends!"_

_He shook his head and chuckled at his sister's childishness. "There's no such thing as magic carpet Alex. There's no such thing as magic.. It's not scientific." _

_She glared at him. "You have no imagination, Justin." she frowned, crossing her arms._

"_Yes I do." He protested, straightening up a bit. "Alex there's-"_

_He was cut off when he heard footsteps ascending the staircase. "Alex!" came their mother's voice._

"_Someone's in trouble." He mumbled, sitting up. Alex smacked him again and sat up too. "Yes, mother?" she asked in her sarcastic voice._

"_Why are you annoying Max again?" their mother scolded, "Why did you tell him he's your teddy bear? Don't you know he's your little brother? And why were you ruffling his hair? You know he doesn't like that." Their mother ranted, pulling Max closer to her._

"_Fine." Alex yelled, "I won't ruffle his hair or cuddle him anymore. I'll do it to someone who wouldn't run around whining and complaining to mommy all the time." She said, making a face as she pulled Justin closer and ruffled his hair. _

_Their mother looked up at him, pleading him not to start complaining like Max. _

_He simply shrugged and returned Alex's hug. "It's okay mom." He assured, earning a smile from both his mother and his sister.  
_

"_See Max, Justin is my teddy bear." She teased, as she buried her face in Justin's neck._

"_Alex, stop annoying him again", Justin hissed in her ear._

_Alex simply looked up at him and stuck out her tongue. "And I'm his doll." She added, further annoying her younger brother._

_Justin couldn't help but smile. __She was a doll. His doll._

_//////_

_When she was eight and he was ten, and their little brother was six, their father finally told them that they were wizards._

"_I told you so." She said, smirking at Justin._

"_Dad, there's no such thing as magic!" Justin protested. "Those things exist in fairy tales!" _

"_Yes, there is, Justin." There father assured in a firm tone. "You guys are wizards, for real."_

"_That is so cool!" she shouted excitedly and jumped up and down._

_He shrugged, still not believing his father. _

_Their little brother Max shook his head, "I don't understand. What are wizards?"_

_She turned towards him in disbelief. "Max, wizards are people with magic powers. They have these sticks called wands through which they can cast spells. Isn't that cool?" she shouted again._

"_Yeah, it is." Their father replied, smiling, "but there's something else you kids need to know."_

"_What is it dad?" Justin asked anxiously, being the older one, and hoping he would give a scientific explanation of magic. _

_Their father fidgeted for a few minutes and finally spoke up. "When you kids grow up, only one of you will be able to keep his or her powers."_

_He gasped. _

_She whined and crossed her arms. "This is totally not fair."_

_Max scratched his head. "I don't get it!"_

_Finally, she sighed and shrugged. "Oh well, that's years away. We'd be happy to get to use our powers now. Come on Justin, let's go do some magic." She said as she grabbed his arm, leading him outside the living room._

_Their father grabbed her arm and pulled them back. "Not so fast, you need to learn spells first. You'll be starting your magic lessons from Monday."_

"_Lessons?" she whined, not wanting to do further studies than school work._

"_What lessons?" Max asked, still clearly confused._

"_Not you Max" their dad said sadly, "Your full powers haven't settled in yet. Justin and Alex will begin their lesson first. They'll get their full powers soon enough."_

_/////_

"_All right guys, here are your wands." Their father said, handing them two sticks of wood. _

"_Cool!" Alex shouted in excitement._

"_Justin, I need you to do this spell on the freezer." Their father commanded gently, handing him a piece of paper._

"_Okay" Justin said, studying the spell properly, and finally performed it on the door._

"_Nothing happened." Alex said in confusion._

"_Watch." Jerry said, smiling as he opened the door._

"_No way!" Alex shouted as she ran into the Lair. "This is so great! It's unbelievable, it's like a dream!"_

_Justin walked in behind her, looking around in amusement as well._

"_This is where you'll be taking your magic lessons", their father announced, entering the Lair behind them. _

_After three magic lessons, she was convinced that learning magic is boring, just doing magic according to your will is fun (well, except for the grounding, okay). He was convinced that he was going to win the competition and keep his powers, but he didn't start bragging about it (yet). _

"_What if I win?" he had asked her once when they were helping their mother in the sub-shop kitchen._

_She shrugged and smiled. _

"_Will you hate me?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper._

_She looked up at his pleading eyes and smiled. "I can never hate you."_

_He smiled back. She would always be __**his little doll.**_

_///////_

_**A few more years later **_

"_What are you doing?" He shrieked as he entered the lair, looking at the mess in the ground._

"_Shhh..." she scolded and glared at him. "I'm trying to fix this."_

_He looked down at the shattered pieces on the floor and finally realized what it was. "IS THIS DAD'S CRYSTAL BALL?" He yelped as his eyes widened in surprise and his heart beat increased in anxiety._

"_Maybe." She replied, keeping her eyes fixed on his face._

"_Alex! Why did you break it?" he yelled as panic overtook his mind._

"_What! I didn't break it. It was an accident." She defended, crossing her arms in front of her for emphasis. _

"_What were you doing with the crystal ball?" he demanded, crossing his arms in front of him as well, just to let her know that this was serious, and she was in trouble._

"_I just wanted to see my future." She pouted, because pouting __always__ worked on him._

_He eyed her up and down for a few times and finally asked. "Which year did you visit?"_

"_2040." She smiled. _

"_And?" he raised an eye-brow, suddenly feeling very curious to know whether her mischief would land her in jail some years later. "What did you see?"_

_She shrugged and turned back to some random magic book. "__I saw older and dorkier you, and older and prettier me sitting down in some weird apartment, looking at my old dollhouse__."_

_He should have felt angry and disappointed to know that he would have to look after his annoying little sister even after so many years, but for some reason, he couldn't hide the smile forming in his face._

"_So, are you going to help me or what?" she asked, suddenly breaking his chain of thoughts._

_He frowned and looked at her, "Why should I help you?"_

_She tried her puppy-dog face and it worked again. (Wow, she's such a great actress!) "Because you're my brother and I'm your little doll?"_

_He sighed and took out his wand. "Fine."_

_//////_

"_Alex!" Justin yelled from the bathroom, "ALEX!"_

"_Keep it down; you'll wake up the neighbors. It's a Monday morning." She yelled back casually in her non-chalant tone, as she sat on the kitchen stool. _

_He stormed down the stairs, still dressed in his pajamas. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY RAZOR?" He yelled, getting late for school on the first day of the week itself. _

"_What! How will I know what happened to your stupid razor?" she protested, crossing her arms in front of her. _

"_Alex." He warned. "Tell me where you hid it." He demanded._

"_I'm just going to remove these breakable stuff", their mother said, placing the glasses in a tray and shifting to the dinner table, "you know, just get it out of the way."_

"_I did not hide it!" she snapped, stomping her feet. "How do you know it's me?" _

"_Because no one else steals my things!" he snapped back. "One last time Alex, tell me where it is."_

_She just rolled her eyes and ignored him, turning her back to him._

"_Fine then", he yelled as he forcefully took her hand in his. He led her hand to his face, and scratched the back of her palm against his rough cheek covered with harsh beard._

"_Justin, stop, it hurts!" she yelled in pain._

"_Not until you give me back my razor." He said again, rubbing her hand faster._

"_Fine. I will give it to you. Let me go." She yelled, trying to yank her hand away._

_He finally let go of her hand and glared at her. _

"_Look who's crying now." He teased as she handed him the razor from a hidden place in the bathroom. "I told you it'd hurt when I start growing a beard."_

"_Yeah, good luck looking like Professor Crumbs", she snapped, walking away. _

"_Huh. Good one." He shot back as he returned back to his shaving, glancing at the clock, jumping up in panic and cutting his cheek with the razor. _

"_Justin!" Alex yelled, rushing back quickly as she saw blood pouring from the cut. "You really need to buy the new-tech razors." She said, as she cleaned his wound with cotton._

"_Aren't you getting late for school?" he asked, wincing occasionally at the touch of the anti-septic._

"_What's your point?" she scoffed, finally finishing her work. Like she actually cared about school?_

"_Thanks Alex." He said, smiling sweetly. _

"_Thanks Alex." She mimicked back as she left the bathroom. _

_He looked at the closed door and smiled as he touched his cheek gently. __She was still a doll__. __His doll._

_/////_

_Years passed like this, the two siblings staying close and growing closer. Alex broke the rules and got into trouble. Justin bailed her out, and saved her. He told himself he was just being a good brother. Somehow he was able to push the sick feelings away, until that dreaded day…. _

(A/N: again, so sorry for such a late update. Anyways, sweetness ends. Slowly moving towards angst. Hope you like it. More reviews=faster update. I'm ready with the next chapter, and man it's long. Let's see how close I can get to 100 reviews. I only 100 I get is in math, weird eh?)


	7. Ch 6: Disappear, now we fade away

(A/N: thanks for the amazing reviews guys :) I'm inching towards 100 reviews, yay! You didn't think I'd hold up updates till 100 reviews, right? O.o I take statistics, so I know that would have been statistically impossible… anyways, _**this chapter picks up from the movie, but by the end of it, the mood will totally shift to angst. Sorry if Justin and Alex appear OOC here, but I figure that's how it should be immediately after the movie.**_ Please read and review! Love you!)

Warning: This chapter is long. 2000+ words.

Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the song I've used in the beginning or the dialogs from the show (in bold) or movie that I've referenced.

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"I can't let you vanish there's no magic when you're gone.

You said you don't need me. You say it's time to leave me.

I'm not gonna let you disappear.

I don't wanna hear it. I don't wanna believe it.

I'm not gonna let you disappear."

-Disappear, from WOWP the movie soundtrack

(This song always reminds me of jalex in the content of the movie, you know when Justin 'disappears' after the competition.)

//////

**Chapter 6: now we fade away**

The dim light of the campfire perfectly accentuated her beautiful face, those thick dreamy eyelashes and those chocolate orbs. He should have been thinking about important things, like the stone of dreams, saving their family, or perhaps about things at hand, such as the lack of a proper sleeping place, or the unsanitary condition of their clothes, but his mind was totally focused on the doll in front of him. His doll.

His memory was slowly fading away, but he could still remember bits and pieces of it, and all those images revolved around her.

"**I know you'd find it hard to believe, but I've never kissed a girl." He said, looking down.**

"**I find it hard to believe that you think I'd find it hard to believe." She said, clearly looking amused.**

He's not sure who was his first kiss anymore, but he's sure Alex helped him get it right.

"**What? Just because something out of the ordinary happens doesn't mean automatically I have something to do it." She protested. **

"**Did you have anything to do with it?" he asked, crossing his arms.**

"**Yes." She whined. **

He doesn't remember what happened when he became invisible, but he remembers the pillow fight in the end.

"**Yes. And now they are called ponies. You remember what those are, right? You were scared of them until last year." She teased, still holding her cell phone in front of her.**

"**I don't care what anyone says", he said, holding his right hand up and pointing his index finger upwards for emphasis, "Those things are dangerous."**

He still remembers her breaking the lamp, and him fixing it. The rest? He's not so sure.

There were a thousand more scattered pieces to his puzzle of life, but he wasn't sure where to fit them to complete his life history.

And then it hit him…

They had never really shared the bond of a normal brother and sister. Which sister would drop love notes in her brother's locker as prank? Maybe some would, but who would take extra care to do the 'I's with hearts? Which brother would tell his sister to get over her boyfriend because he didn't have a library card? Well, _**he**_ did care about library but, that wasn't a reason for _**Alex**_ to end a relationship, _**she**_ didn't care about library either. Which sister would get jealous of her brother's werewolf date? Which brother would hug his sister tightly to ruin her dress as revenge? Big brothers stay miles away from their sister.

No. There was more to it than that, more feelings that he never really thought about, more thoughts that he was always afraid to admit…. And now they were out in the open in front of him.

He looked at her. Her soft curly hair was a mess. Her blouse was sweaty and hanging loose above her skirt. Her clothes looked really dirty and slept in, but for once he wasn't thinking about hygiene anymore.

Her beautiful (usually mischievous) eyes were shimmering because of the bright light of the fire, but he could see an **unmistakable glint of fear and uncertainty** in them. Her lips, slightly trembling with fear and maybe cold, were soft, full and inviting. Even in the mouth of imminent danger, she looked perfectly like a doll.

Maybe they wouldn't even exist the next day, but if he died catching a glimpse of her petite figure, he wouldn't mind….

"Justin, help me. What spell do I use?"

"Why will I help you?"

"Because you're my brother. Look, I'm sorry you didn't-"

"I'm your brother?"

His voice was a mixture of **shock and disbelief**. The world shattered at that moment. He felt every single destructive wave hit the shore to announce its devastating glory, every single volcano erupt to dance in its victory, every single fault line develop into deep gaping cracks, and every single continent drift far, far away.

How could the dark haired sobbing girl in front of him be his sister? He knew he loved her. He knew she was his doll. How could her words be true?

"Please don't leave me." she pleaded, eyes bleeding with streaming tears.

"I'd never leave you," he promised, "I don't know who you are but I believe you." And she came running into his arms, where she belonged.

He was going to tell her he loved her. He was going to admit how he felt. But the tornado of non-existence hit him and tore him away from her. His image blurred and became black as a faint cry reverberated in his ear- "_Justin_!"

He was gone from his doll. Forever. Until she decided to give up her powers and reverse her wish, because her family was more important to her- he was more important to her. She needed him back. 

**She was his. His doll. And she wanted to be this way. Forever.**

//////

There was something horribly wrong somewhere, he could feel it. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore suddenly seemed so cruel and frightening, as if something was missing. Her name was written in the sand in his neat handwriting and he watched the waves wash it away. And suddenly he remembered what was wrong-what was missing. His doll was not by his side, and that was making every single object appear so dull and horrifying.

Where was she? He looked up and there she was - she was holding her sneakers in her left hand, dancing barefoot in the wave. People were looking at her in amusement, but she didn't care. Her eyes were closed tightly, and a beautiful smile was painted on her soft, pink lips. It was so hard to believe that this was the same girl whose life was in danger just yesterday, whose memory was fading away, whose family was disappearing. Perhaps this happiness was because she existed today and her family was safe?

The wind blew at a furious speed, and the way loose strands of hair fell on her face made him smile. A larger wave hit her feet reaching upto her knees and she squealed in happiness. She opened her eyes slowly, only to see him staring at her and he looked away. The fear, anxiety and pain of last day still showed in his face. So she crossed the distance and joined him on the shore, sitting on the sand beside him. It was quiet for a moment because neither of them knew what to say. He was looking at his left where their parents were buying something. She was looking at her right where their little brother was holding something in his hands (and she _really_ didn't want to know what it was). They were not looking at each other, because that would mean talking about whatever happened during the hunt for the stone of dreams, acknowledging it. (**A/N**: **no I'm not adding anything, let's stay in the canon universe, I'm talking about whatever happened in the movie.)**

The wind blew at a furious speed, and her loose curls fell on his face in that fascinating way. The smell of strawberry shampoo intoxicated him, and he closed his eyes and inhaled sharply in response. She tucked her hair behind her ears and watched him. His face looked so grim, yet so content… He opened his eyes and finally met her gaze. The sound of the waves crashing and the wind blowing played in the background and memories of that campfire night came rushing back to them.

The words echoed in his ears and he wondered why exactly he said those things. But they were said and he couldn't take them back anymore. Not that he wanted to take them back; he had wanted to say those for a long time… So he just dared to look in her eyes and search for his world in them. He saw **love, comfort and safety**. He saw **fear, questions and pain.** His hand reached up and gently stroked her hair.

"I thought I lost you", she whispered, her timid voice barely audible in the crowded beach, but the fear prominent in it.

"I thought I lost you too" he admitted, as his hand came down to cup her cheek.

She rushed into his arms and threw her arms around his neck, once again not caring about the fact that people were staring at them.

"I am right here" he whispered soothingly, as he told himself that she was right there as well.

She just nodded and let the tears flow, completely melting in his embrace. His own eyes filled with tears, as he felt her tears soaking his shirt. A wish gone wrong was going to destroy everything, take everything away. It was all her fault, her mistake, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to blame her at all. He knew this reason all too well, but at the moment, with her in his arms, he didn't bother to go through those trails of thoughts again…

They were broken out of their trance when their parents called them. He wiped her tears quickly, got up and offered her his hand. She smiled at him and gladly accepted it. They walked together, holding hands, fingers intertwined, in the Disney Prince and Princess way. (A/N: Note the irony XD)

/////

When they almost reached their parents, she finally let go of his hand and walked ahead.

_And that was when reality hit him..._

The girl he was holding hands with was his sister. His little sister. His little doll. She was forbidden. She was sin….and she was everything he ever wanted. It was taboo. It was wrong. It was never meant to be…and it was the only thing he wanted so bad.

Closing his eyes, he painted images of their childhood in his mind, trying to pinpoint the moment when he started growing these feelings for her, but failed. These feelings were always there, probably since the kiss. They had simply gotten stronger during the rainforest days.

And now he had to let her go….

Because he was the older one. The mature one. The responsible one. The sick one.

He had to protect her…from himself.

Taking a deep breath, he turned around and looked at the vast ocean again. The ocean looked so wild, yet so calm, so comforting, _as if it was opening its arms and offering him an embrace_. The mild blue water seemed to be _calling out to him, inviting him to find eternal peace in death_. But the sound of the waves crashing and the feeling of his heart breaking kept him grounded to reality, and he fought the urge to end the pain in one hasty movement. The wind blew at a furious speed as he watched the waves crashing on the shore. A foamy wave reached the beach, destroying a sand castle a little girl had built.

"Dolly!" she cried, grabbing her doll from the shattered sand castle. "Mommy, my dolly's house is ruined!" she cried again, running towards some woman he assumed was her mother.

Justin closed his eyes and took a deep breath again. His 'doll house' would be destroyed too….He had to let 'his doll' go…

//////

Alex reached her parents and smiled.

"Where's Justin?" her mother asked.

"He was right behind me", she said, looking around in confusion, "Oh there he is", she muttered, seeing him standing some five feet away from them, back turned towards them, looking at the shore. "He'll catch up", she said, smiling at her mom again. "Why did you call us again mom?"

"Oh right", her mother replied, returning to her thoughts again. "Your dad wanted to go back to the resort with Justin and Max. I thought you and I could go shopping."

"Sure mom." She replied, smiling instantly, as the two Russo women made their way to the beach shops.

"Look at this necklace!" her mother exclaimed, running to a store.

She followed her mother, but stopped near another shop when something else caught her attention- **dolls**, beautiful little dolls. She turned her head, and looked at her brother, still standing at a distance, still looking at the ocean, his back still turned towards them. She couldn't see his face, so she couldn't see the tears in his eyes, couldn't feel his world ending… Completely unaware about the firm decision he was taking at that very moment, she was sure he was smiling as well.

She picked up two dolls and brought them near her chest. She smiled, as memories of the last two days came back to her again, and a strange feeling of comfort flooded her mind. She smiled at how close they had grown, and how close they'd stay. She closed her eyes and painted pictures of the moment when she'd confess how she felt, the moment when he'd do something incredibly dorky, annoying, cheesy, something incredibly Justin and declare his love for her. Her smile grew as she pictured their beautiful future ahead…

**Who said dolls couldn't have happy endings?**

(A/N: yupe, I'm back into the angst zone. It feels so good. LOL. I'm not sure if you guys have shops in beaches in your country, but in mine we do. So please spare me if I'm technically wrong. Also, I think by now you know that dolls are symbolic in this story. So, did you like this chapter? I put in a LOT of effort in this, lots of emotions related to oceans and dolls and life. Please review, it makes my day)


	8. Ch 7: I'm letting you go

(A/N: ahhh I reached 100 reviews! wow it's a dream. Really. I used to dream of this 3-6 months back. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS, I LOVE YOU!)

Warning: Long (8 pages in MS word at font size 12) and emotional chapter ahead. I rewrote this. And I'm personally VERY happy with this chapter.

Disclaimer: I dont own wowp or the song i've used in the beginning.

Chapter 7: I'm letting you go

"_Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow,_

_Heal me from all this sorrow as I let you go._

_I will find my way,_

_I will sacrifice._

_Till the blinding days when I see your eyes…_

_Now I'm living in your afterglow…"_

_-Afterglow by ??INXS (I'm not sure, sorry)  
_

//////

The vacation was finally over, and they finally returned home. He had never been so happy to return home before, but this was different, because this time, he wasn't sure if he'd **ever **return home again.

Taking a deep breath, he dropped his head backwards and rested it on the arm of the couch, stretching his feet up to the other arm. Nothing felt better than being home. It had been a week since they'd returned, and everything was going back to the way it was again… well, almost everything.

"Wow, look, the king of dorks is napping in his thorn", she teased, walking down the spiral staircase and standing in front of him, hands on her hips.

"What do you want Alex?" He asked in an exasperated tone, not in the mood for a fight.

"I want to sit in my couch in my living room?" she replied in her sarcastic tone, tapping her foot on the floor, waiting for a comeback.

He simply nodded and got up. "Okay... I'm just gonna go rest in my room..." he said as he headed towards the staircase.

"Wait!" she yelled, walking up behind him.

"What?" he asked, stopping in his tracks but not turning around to look at her. I thought you wanted the couch." **("He wasn't looking at my eyes for days." She complains now.)**

"I do." She assured, biting her lip. "I was just wondering if… you know…" She sighed. It had been a week since they returned home, yet she still couldn't say the words to him, she still couldn't confess. She had never been scared of Justin, never had any problems with expressing her thoughts and feelings to him. But this time, something was different. She felt like there was some piece of information that she was missing, some kind of fact that she was trying to ignore. Things were going exactly the opposite way than she had planned. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" She finally asked.

"Not really." He replied quickly, beginning to climb up the stairs again, taking two steps at a time, to get away from her as quickly as he could.

"Justin!" she yelled again, running up the stairs behind up.

"Not now Alex." He said sternly, opening the door to his room and slamming it shut behind him.

She stood thunderstruck in front of the door that was slammed at her for the first time in her life. "What's wrong with you?" she whispered as she gently touched the hard wood door-frame. She could still see the initials of her name, curved in her childish handwriting in the lower corner of his door. Memories of their childhood came rushing back to her again, and she remembered all the moments when that door was the first place she'd rush to whenever she got into trouble. She had lost count of how many times she had stormed into that room, without even knocking, sometimes crying, sometimes panicking over some spell she messed up, sometimes simply annoyed with him… But at that moment, her hands shook and she couldn't turn that all too familiar door-knob. "What's wrong with me?" she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes, as she ran away to her own room.

By that time, he had sunk to the floor, tears flowing down his cheeks. His eyes were fixed on the bed, the same bed that they shared when they were kids, and now he knew why he never wanted to get a new bed. Memories of their childhood came rushing back to him as well, those stormy nights when he was terrified by the thunder and lightening, those winter nights under the cozy blankets... Every memory haunted him again. "What's wrong with us?" he whispered, as he threw his head back harshly and slammed it against his doorframe.

////////

"Justin!" Juliet greeted, rushing into his arms. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too", he whispered, a small smile on his lips, but the usual goofy grin missing.

"So, how was the vacation?" she asked, enthusiasm dripping in her voice. "Did you guys have fun?"

"Yeah, it was great." Alex lied, walking inside the door and heading upstairs. "Justin was screaming like a little girl when he thought he was caught in a spider-web." She added, smiling to herself.

"What? Really Justin?" Juliet asked, smiling as well.

"Yeah..." he admitted, clumsily grabbing Juliet's hand. "Come on Juliet, let's go downstairs."

Alex stood frozen in the staircase, as they left the room. What wasn't he fighting with her anymore? Heck, why wasn't he talking to her anymore? What happened?

///////

The next time clouds covered the sky, she was back in front of that door again. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice with her shaking hands.

"Come in, Alex."

She sighed in relief, and turned the doorknob, walking inside his room for the first time since they had returned. "Hey", she greeted, spotting him standing near his study desk, rearranging his action figures.

"Hey", he greeted back, looking at her nervously, his hands tucked in the front pocket of his pants.

"Playing with your dolls again?" she teased, trying to ease the tense atmosphere between them.

He frowned and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "Action figures".

"Yeah, right." She scoffed, trying to hide the smile from her face. At least something was still the same. "Only you'd still have dolls in your room."

"You do too." He snapped, reminding her about the two dolls still hidden in her closet.

"I don't play with them." She snapped back, walking further inside and sitting on the bed. "You're such a geek", she said, glancing at the books on Robotic Engineering scattered in his bed.

"You took the trouble of walking into my room just to annoy me?" he asked, eyebrows raised in amusement and annoyance.

"What! No. I would have just poofed myself then. Pfft..." she scoffed, settling down more comfortably on the bed. "Oh my gosh, is that my nail polish stain?" she asked, grabbing the handkerchief lying in his bedside table and examining it carefully. "I can't believe you still have this! You've kept this for three years!"

"I do need evidence of your anarchy in my room." he snapped, walking up to her and snatching the handkerchief from her hands. "And that was my favorite handkerchief, by the way. Thanks Alex" he mumbled sarcastically.

"There you go! You're fighting with me again!" Alex yelled in excitement, running into his arms to attack him with a hug. "I was scared that you are mad at me!"

He stumbled a bit backwards as his knees grew weak, trying to balance himself, taking in deep breaths and praying that the feelings would go away.

"Justin?" she asked in confusion, pulling away when he didn't return the hug.

"Hmm?" he asked, trying to regain his composure.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, her brown eyes desperately searching his gray ones for answers to those questions that she didn't even know.

"Why will I be mad at you?" he asked, smiling and trying to play casual.

She shrugged and took a deep breath. "Are you mad at me because I won the competition?" she asked again.

"What?" he asked in surprise, retreating a few steps.

"Look Justin, I know you should have won… and I'm sorry if I hurt you. But the important thing is, everything is all right now. We will have the wizard competition again and then-"

"Alex", he cut her off, shaking his head in frustration and defeat. "I'm not mad at you because you won."

"Really?" she asked, studying his face again as he nodded. "Then why are you behaving this way, Justin? Why are you pushing me away?"

"I'm not pushing you away…" he lied, not meeting her gaze.

"Justin, please, don't…" she shook her head. "Ever since we returned, nothing has been the same between us... what is wrong? What's going on?"

He sighed, turning away. Ever since they returned,_ nothing_ had been the same between anyone. He and Juliet were slowly falling apart. "Sit down", he ordered, motioning to his bed with his index finger.

She quirked an eyebrow questioningly, but complied never the less.

He slowly walked towards her and sat down on the bed. "Do you trust me?" he asked, gazing into her eyes.

"W-w-what?" she shuttered, taken aback by this unexpected question. "Yeah, of course, you are my brother."

He gulped hard, and tried to hide his pain. "Listen to me carefully okay?"

She nodded, unsure what to say.

"Look, I don't know how to say this…but… I am going through a weird phase now, a horribly weird phase… and I… I can't explain it to you but…I want you to stay away from me till it's over, okay?"

"Justin, no, please, let me help you, please", she pleaded, taking his hands in hers.

He inhaled sharply, mentally cursing himself again. "The only way you can help me is by staying away…"

Her hold on his hands loosened, and she suddenly pulled away. "Oh…So you don't want me like I want you..." she whispered to herself.

And his world ended. His worst nightmare came true.

_She felt it too. She wanted him too._

"You're my little sister", he replied sadly, shaking his head, trying to remind himself why this was wrong and why he couldn't give in.

And finally she understood what she had forgotten-what was the crucial piece of information that she was ignoring. 

_She was his sister. _

She was Alex Russo. She had done a lot of wrong things in her life, pulled pranks on innocent people, broken the rules, but _this_? This was different, this was unthinkable, this was unacceptable- she had fallen in love with _her brother_. Why didn't she think about this before? How could she be so blind, so naïve, so stupid? And how could she think he'd break the rules for her? He was Justin Russo, he _never _broke the rules.

"Look, Alex-" he began again, but she cut him off.

"Help me Justin…" she whispered, the tears that she didn't know she had been holding back flowing down her cheeks. "Tell me what to do…"

"I…I don't know…" he whispered, sighing, as he wiped her tears away. "It'll go away..." he assured, gently stroking her moist cheek with his thumb.

"What if it doesn't?" she asked, staring into his eyes again.

_What if it doesn't?_ That was the same thing that he asked himself each and every day. That was the very question that had been haunting him every single second. _What if it doesn't?_

"You're my sister Alex", he repeated again, hopelessness and desperation mingling in his voice, but his voice lacking any conviction, his hand freezing as his thumb reached the corner of her mouth, as he stood at the last shred of self-control. **("You guys are so easy", she still teases.) **

"How long have you been…?" she asked, tears brimming in her eyes again.

"I don't know..." he sighed again, his eyes drifting shut with her closeness, his mind screaming at him to move away.. "Ever since the kiss, I guess…" he confessed, as his thumb traced the outline of her lips.

"Justin…" she whispered, her body trembling at his touch, as the sound of the raindrops falling echoed in her ears, and the faint scent of flowers overwhelmed her senses.

"Hmm..?" he whispered back, as their lips lightly brushed, and he couldn't think clearly anymore. Memories of the first kiss came back to him again. _** Her lips still tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin….**_

Thunder roared outside his window, and she placed her hands around his shoulders, just like she did when she was still a kid.

"Scared?" he teased, his voice full of smugness.

"Only you'd be scared of lightning." She shot back.

Their lips brushed again, none daring to begin the kiss, none sure who should take the first step.

The wind blew through his open window, rattling the action figures in the table.

"Your dolls..." she whispered, mere centimeters away from his lips. Even in a moment like this, she managed to make fun of him. **("This is what years of practice does to you, see." She tells everyone whenever they're narrating the story.)**

"Action figures", he whispered back, his voice hinting at slight annoyance. "And you're my doll… my-"

"_Justin! Alex! Close your windows! You'll break all the lamps that I bought for you guys AGAIN_!" their mother yelled from downstairs.

He immediately jumped back, the voice bringing him back to reality again.

"OH MY GOODNESS WHAT WAS I DOING!" he shrieked, pulling his hair with his hands in aggravation.

"Justin…" she whispered, getting up from the bed, trying to reach out to him.

"STAY AWAY ALEX!" he yelled, jumping backwards immediately. "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING…? I WASN'T THINKING, OKAY?"

"Justin..." she tried again.

"JUST GET OUT OF HERE ALEX… AND **STAY**AWAY FROM ME…" he yelled again.

She covered her mouth with her hands, as the tears broke free again, and ran out of his room crying.

The wind blew furiously again, throwing his action figures from the table and scattering them on the floor, as his world scattered as well…

He looked down at the scattered dolls on the floor and mused…. _**Do dolls really have happy endings?**_

///////

"Are you two all right?" their mother asked during dinner that night.

"Yeah, we are fine mom", he assured, offering a forced smile. The sound of lightning, thunder and rain must have blocked out his yelling from being heard downstairs. Phew!

Their mother frowned as she saw through his smile. "Are you two fighting again?"

"It's nothing mom..." he assured again.

"Yeah, it's _nothing_ mom." She assured too, emphasizing on the word nothing.

It was nothing. They were nothing. They would never be anything (or so she thought...)

////////

That day was the most painful day of his life, as he finally fully comprehended what happened.

He loved her. She loved him too. But they could never be together, thanks to morals, laws, society and genes.

"**Justin, are you all right?.. Justin?" Juliet asked from the other end of the phone, anxious at not getting his reply.**

"**Yeah, I'm fine. I'm listening to you", he replied, wiping the tears from his face and staring into the ceiling again. **

He had a thousand options. _They_ had a thousand options. But all those options would involve running away, moving from place to place, leaving behind family and friends, giving up everything they ever wanted.

He could take a thousand roads. _They_ could take a thousand roads. But all those roads were full of suffering, hiding, lying and pain.

For the first time in his time, he was ready to take all of this. But he couldn't- because he wasn't ready to make her suffer as well. She shouldn't suffer for him. She shouldn't suffer for _them_. She was just a little girl… a little doll.

"**Justin?" Juliet asked, and from the tone of her voice, he knew he had zoned out again.**

"**Sorry." He mumbled. "I think I need some rest now. It's already past my self-imposed bed time. Goodnight Juliet."**

When he hung up the phone and slumped into his bed, his sleepless nights began.

///////

Alex twisted and turned in her bed, still trying to comprehend what happened.

She loved him. He loved her too. But he was pushing her away. He was being the older brother.

She sighed, as more tears flowed from her eyes, and rolled over again. Her gaze fell on her closet, and she got up from her bed. She opened it, and reached her hands into a hidden corner. Her hands instantly found their destination; two dolls were brought out after a long time.

Alex clutched the dolls closer to her chest, as she sank on the floor, the crying finally weakening her, and her legs failing her. Memories of her childhood rushed back to her again, and she remembered Justin's words-"_**Who said dolls couldn't have happy endings?" **_(A/N: if you've read the prologue, it's there.)

She had grown up believing him. She had grown up believing this. But sitting alone on the floor, tears flowing down her cheeks, her nose running, hiccups bothering her every few seconds, she couldn't help but wonder- _**Do dolls really have happy endings?**_

(A/N: please review! Please please please! Again, thanks a lot for all the reviews. Review please! :-s BTW, I'm reaching my first 100 reviews. Time to party. So I'm posting a new one-shot called '**Dysfunctional**'. Of course it's a jalex!)


	9. Ch 8: Just like before

(A/n: thanks a lot for the reviews guys, love you!)

Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the songs I am using in the beginning and at the end.

**Warning: again, long chapter. Around 2400 words. Minor spoilers for "Dollhouse" (title of this fanfiction comes from that episode), and "Night at the Lazerama." **

//////

Chapter 8: Just like before?

"_I told my heart to find and bring me happiness,_

_The naïve heart brought sorrow, so sorrow be it._

_How will the poor thing know,_

_What is pain and what is emptiness?_

_My pain is better than the happiness of the entire city._

_I do not enjoy the celebrations,_

_I have found pleasure in this sorrow."_

_- An approximate translation of_

"_Maine Dil se Kahaan" from Rog_

//////

The night passed somehow- none managing to get any sleep, both thinking over the day's events and what would happen next. Justin climbed down the stairs the next morning, hair messy, eyes with dark circles, mind full of fear and regret.

"Hijo, what happened?" his mother exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah mom, I'm fine." He assured, rubbing his forehead with his hands and praying that the terrible headache will subside.

His mother frowned. "It's Alex, isn't it?"

He gulped hard, as he remembered what happened last night. How could he let down his guard, how could he almost give in?

"Good morning guys", Alex mumbled, running down the stairs and sitting on the kitchen stool, not even looking at him once. "Sorry I'm late mom, just had some problem sleeping last night."

"Yeah, I can tell." Theresa said, looking at her daughter's messy hair and dark circles. "I have never seen you guys fight like this in _all these years_. Whatever happened, you two need to patch things up."

"We are not fighting mom", Justin assured again, but he sounded exasperated.

"Fine then, you guys are going to get break-fast together from some other shop." Theresa announced, putting their plates aside. "And by the time you are back, everything should be better between the two of you."

"Mom!" Alex protested.

"No argument Alex." Their mother said sternly, returning her attention to Max.

Alex looked at Justin. He gulped hard. There was no getting out of this…

"I'll go… get changed..." Alex said nervously while fidgeting with her fingers.

Justin nodded awkwardly. "I'll … change too and… meet you in… front of the… sub-shop." He stuttered.

////

"I'm... ready…" Alex announced, standing in front of Justin.

"Let's… go then..." Justin offered, uncomfortably motioning for her to move forward.

They starting walking, both remaining silent, unsure what to say, and maintaining a distance of two feet from each other, carefully averting each other's eyes- Justin out of guilt and shame, Alex out of fear and pain.

"Aw!" Alex yelped, sitting down suddenly.

"What happened?" Justin asked, rushing towards her immediately, ever the over-protective big brother, their last night's 'misadventure' quickly forgotten.

"I tripped on my heels." Alex said, trying to get up.

Justin gasped. "You are wearing _heels_?"

Alex glared at him. "I wasn't thinking…. Not after what happened last night."

There. The topic they had both been trying to avoid was brought up again. **("Maybe you are right, I should think before I speak." She says to Harper now.) **

The awkwardness returned and they started walking in silence until they reached the shop.

"So, umm, what to you want to order?" Justin asked once they were seated on their table.

"Pepperoni pizza?" Alex asked.

"We are ordering _break-fa_st Alex." Justin stated.

"I know, duh?" Alex said, rolling her eyes.

Justin sighed and looked at the wait-stuff. "We'd like two meat-sandwiches please."

"What! Justin, I don't want a sandwich!" Alex protested, stomping her feet. "The only reason I came here with you is to eat something better than mom's regular sandwiches."

Justin glared at her. "We are in a restaurant Alex, behave yourself", he reprimanded, motioning at her stomping feet.

Alex rolled her eyes and looked at the wait-stuff. "We'd like a pepperoni pizza with a diet coke."

"Alex" Justin warned.

"Make that a pepperoni pizza with a diet coke _and_ garlic breadsticks." Alex ordered, giving Justin a look of challenge.

Justin sighed and looked down. No matter what happens, Alex will be Alex.

"You do have some extra money, right?" he asked, still looking at the ground in embarrassment. "I didn't bring much money…. Didn't think you'd order something like this."

Alex simply stared at him, eyebrows raised upwards in amusement.

"I was _hoping_ you wouldn't?" he snapped. How could she go back to teasing him and making fun of him the very next day after _that thing_?

Alex smiled- a genuine smile after such a long, sleepless night of crying. No matter what happened, she'd always be his sister, and they would always be this honest.

"No worries, I brought my purse." She guaranteed, smiling reassuringly and holding up her purse in front of him.

He smiled back. "I'll pay you back later… this is my treat for saying sorry… I shouldn't have yelled at you like that last night… it was my fault…" He mumbled, carefully avoiding looking at her eyes.

"Yeah, you haven't yelled at me like that since we were kids…" she whispered, remembering the time when she had accidentally destroyed his action figure, and trying to avoid the topic of last night.

Justin sighed. This guilt was tearing him apart- he was the one who let his guard down. It was so _cheap _of him to give in to the kiss like that. And then he went ahead and yelled at her! What a hypocrite. "Umm… so… do you forgive me for my insolent yelling?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Alex announced quickly, her smile growing into a grin. "And since it's your treat, maybe I should order some extra creamy dip then?" (A/N: I have no idea how you eat pizza in your country. I'm writing this from my 'limited' experience. I actually use paneer toppings :|)

"Alex." Justin tried to warn again, but it ended up being a sigh.

Alex laughed. Teasing Justin was just _too_ easy.

Their pizza arrived and they started eating it silently.

"This pizza is amazing." Alex said while munching on a big bite from a slice.

"Alex, don't talk with your mouth full." Justin admonished.

"Relax dude, it's just you." She scoffed, still chewing on the pizza.

Justin sighed and looked around. No one seemed to mind.

"Umm… I think we need to talk about last night." Justin announced, finally bringing up that dreaded topic.

"What's the use?" Alex asked, talking a bite from the garlic bread and a sip from the coke.

"Alex. Stop trying to act so indifferent. Stop trying to act like it's nothing. Stop trying to act like you don't care…" He almost yelled, frustration growing within him every passing minute of ignoring _that thing_. "I know you care..." He breathed out as his knee bumped hers under the table and the feelings returned again. He straightened out in his chair and pushed his feet backwards in his frantic attempt to put as much space between them as possible. "What happened last night shouldn't have happened…"

Alex sighed. "Look, Justin, just pretend it never happened, okay?

"But it did..."

"Justin! We'll need to stay in the same house for a few more years...We can't just act all awkward and distant all the time... And then there's school. People would know something's up between us…" She paused, taking in a deep breath, readying herself to say the words that she _did not_ want to say _at all_, but _had to_. "You have to let this go. We need to act normal again, **just like before**, for everyone's sake."

Justin nodded, smiling. "I think you're right; that's unusually mature for you Alex … So, let's not bring that up again, right?" He asked, trying his best to conceal his disappointment and his helplessness from his voice.

Alex only nodded, as her heart broke again, and smiled, as she swallowed hard to fight the lump rising in her throat. Yeah, first rejection is the worst pain; first heartbreak hurts the most, but this? This wasn't anything less- when it's true, letting go of someone _always_ hurts. And she had a feeling that this pain would only grow with time. Her hands trembled with the humiliation of defeat as she silently ate her pizza. She was Alex- impulsive, stubborn, rule-bender. She always got what she wanted. But this time, the stakes were just too high. **She wasn't worth ruining Justin's life**. Sure, she was great- nice, smart, charming attractive, and she had a lot of self-respect for herself. But Justin was greater- smart, nice, kind, helpful- the perfect guy. She wasn't worth ruining his life. 

Finishing her slice of pizza and deciding to take the first step towards '_normalcy_', she used the corner of his TOB t-shirt to wipe the cream off her hands.

"ALEX!"

////

By the time they reached home, Alex was smiling and laughing, and Justin was twitching and scolding her about poking the guy at the resister with her wand.

Everything was normal again. Everything was normal from that day. The feelings were gone. They were over. (Or so they told themselves every time their hands accidentally brushed and they felt the familiar tingles, every time they had to hug and it ended up being a little too tight and a little too long, every night they cried themselves to sleep, every time they had those dreams, and every morning they woke up panting and had to act normal again.)

///////

"Ooh, Justin you're hurting me." She cried, as he squeezed her tightly in his arms.

"Hmm", he said, releasing her. "Actually, I do feel better now, thank you."

He couldn't stop smiling as he left the room. Standing there in that cute Lolita doll dress, hair tied in tiny ponytails, pink lipstick on her lips, she looked exactly like a doll. _**His doll. **_Taking her in his arms and giving her a tight squeeze, he finally felt better. Oh, this was _so_ worth his 400 dollars!

//////

_The wheels of time were turning. His world was falling apart. Things were changing…_

"Hey", Alex smiled weakly walking into his room and sitting down on the bed beside him. "Feeling better?"

"No." He replied in a muffled voice, his face buried into the pillow, as he forced his eyes closed and tried not to think over the day's happenings.

"We'll find her Justin." She promised again.

"What if we don't?" he asked. "What happens then? This is my entire fault Alex. I shouldn't have taken Juliet with me. And I shouldn't have forgotten my cell phone; at least I could have called you up for help… and now, she's gone and I… I may never see her again… what if I don't see her again? I can't live without her… I love her too much" Justin sobbed.

There. There was that stinging feeling in her heart again, that feeling of solitude and pain- that feeling of unrequited love. She had been trying so hard to fight it, praying it'll go away, and it did, only to return, every time Juliet was around, or every time he talked about Juliet. This stinging feeling was so not her thing- she was Alex. She was supposed to be devoid of deep, true romantic feelings- feelings that can be found in all the sappy movies and stories that she hated. But there… there was that stinging feeling in her heart again.

She ignored it (again) and ran her hands through his hair soothingly. "Don't worry Justin, we'll find her."

He rested his head on her lap and sighed. "Thanks for having my back today."

She nodded and offered him another weak smile. "I always have your back… forever."

He sighed again and closed his eyes. "How are we going to find her?"

She sighed and looked away. "I don't know… but trust me Justin, we _will_ find a way…" she said, the determination in her voice forcing him to believe her.

/////

His dream that night was a blur of motions.

_He found himself standing on top of some hill, ocean on the other side of it. There was some female figure, covered from head to toe in a black robe, standing at the edge of the hill, her back turned towards him, ready to take the final plunge._

"_No Juliet, don't leave me!" He yelled, running up to her. _

_The figure didn't move. He kept running towards her, but the distance just kept increasing, his path just kept elongating._

"_Please don't leave me, Juliet!" He yelled again. _

_The figure finally turned around and removed the hood of the robe from her face, revealing a familiar brunette. She gave him a small smile as she leant backwards and let herself fall all the way down the hill. _

"ALEX!" he yelled, as he shot up in his bed, panting and sweating. He looked at the clock- 3 a.m.

He jumped out of his bed, storming out of his room and running into hers. He found her sitting on her bed, listening to music in her i-pod to pass _another_ sleepless night.

"Alex!" He cried as he rushed towards her and wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug. "Are you all right?" he whispered as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

"Um… yeah…" she mumbled skeptically as she hugged him back. "Bad dream?"

**("Nightmare", he mumbles. "I know what it's called." She glares at him.)**

He nodded as his hands moved up to her shoulders and he pulled away from her. "Don't _ever_ leave me, Alex… don't _ever_ do anything stupid, do you understand?" He demanded angrily, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her harshly.

She only nodded and offered him a happy smile. She was still his little doll.

**("You ****really**** need to stop watching those cliché movies", she had told him when he finally narrated the dream to her-years later, of course.) **

**//////**

When he finally regained his composure and returned to his room- he understood. He had lost Juliet, the one person that meant the world to him, and that had shaken him to the core, but _now_, he realized it was Alex that he was scared of losing. She mattered to him more than anyone else- she was the only one who was _always_ by his side- through thick and through thin. She was his little sister, his best friend, his world, his everything- **his little doll**. 

"_Pretty, pretty  
More beautiful than others.  
My sweet little girl  
That's so easy to love.  
Pretty, pretty  
More beautiful than others.  
Fragile doll…"_

_-__ Bonita de Mas by Erreway_

**(Song Courtesy and translation**

**by Baku Babe, thanks again girl,**

**I'm so glad I have a Jalex-buddy like you!)**

(A/N: Yupe, review for faster update. I'm currently working on a 10,000 words jalex one-shot and trying to get it out before my next update. It'll be called 'The last word' and it'll be the best one-shot I've ever written.)

IMPORTANT: My results are coming out soon, and I'm TERRIFIED. So please forgive me if I fail to update soon. And yeah, do pray for me! :-s

(To Jayendra: Umm, I don't think I'm comfortable sharing more about my personal life that I already have. And dude, I have no idea about dating and relationships. I know I write cliché angst and romance fan fictions, but I'm the girl who's studying day and night and watching Power Rangers/X-men for action. So yeah, I have no suggestion for you. Personally, I don't think I'll go chasing after my crush. I'm just too busy with life right now to even think of dating :|)


	10. Ch 9: Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or song in the beginning or end or the characters I have used, except Mike. He's my original character, and you'll get used to hating him as well as sympathizing with him.

/////

_Heroes of the play,  
we search ourselves in mirrors,  
we are the masters of our lives,  
tightrope walkers on the ropes of our dreams,  
even without a net don't be afraid to cross._

_Adolescente from Chiquititas_

_(Song courtesy and translation: Baku Bake,_

_Thanks again girl!)_

/////

"Promise me we'll find normal people."

"We are not normal people."

/////

The hardest thing in life is to let the one you love go. He had to do it twice- but this time, he was certain that she wasn't coming back. His world ended, everything shattered in front of his eyes, and it was his fault, once again. He couldn't save her. He couldn't save her _again_. What was he going to do after this? 

"How am I going to tell her parents?" He whispered uncertainly into the thin air and the darkness of night.

No reply came. He titled his head and looked at her face. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and she was crying silently.

"Alex-"

"Don't, Justin, just don't-"

He sighed and looked away. She was right. He should let her cry. She lost as much as he did. Why did they both love and lose at the same time? Was life intentionally playing tricks on them again?

"We should go home." He whispered.

She still didn't move.

"Come on Alex." He persisted as he got up- slowly, his legs still weak as an aftershock of all the events. He offered her his hand and nodded.

She took his hand in hers hesitantly and tried to get up. He supported her weight and balanced her by placing his arm around her shoulders. She looked so delicate, so vulnerable, so shattered, so fragile. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his other hand- he could never see her cry.

He had to stay strong- for her sake. 

///////

**One month later**

"Don't you think you are rushing?" he asked, wiping the empty and shining table with a piece of cloth for the fifth time, not paying particular attention.

"No." she shrugged and poured some sugar into her mouth.

"Alex", he said, and he sounded defeated already, wow. "You just broke up last month."

"Last month is a long time, Justin." She replied non-chalantly, moving on to another table and another container of sugar.

"Alex-" Justin scolded, slapping her hand away from the sugar container. "You don't know this guy properly! You should give it more time. Why are you in such a hurry to find a replacement for _him_?"

"I'm not trying to replace anyone." She snapped quickly. "Justin, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions... This is a good thing. I feel so much better already. You should try dating someone too." 

He shook his head as he threw the dirty cloth on the table. "No Alex, for me, there will be no one else except Juliet."

There was that stinging feeling in her heart again, and suddenly she wasn't sure who she was trying to replace.

//////

"I think I should meet him." He proposed while walking home from school.

"You are not my father." She snapped, 'accidentally' bumping into a woman who had been rude to her once, and spilling the woman's drink all over the woman's clothes.

"Alex!" Justin scolded, running after her. "That wasn't necessary." 

She rolled her eyes and ignored him (as usual), while the woman was shouting and cursing at them from five feet away. **("I actually did her a favor. I made her understand that you can't run when you are wearing high heels. I'm sure she never wore them again. I actually saved her from tripping and falling again in the future. You're welcome." She says proudly**.)

"I need to meet him Alex." He said sternly, returning to the old topic again. "I'm your brother. I have to make sure he's all right… I don't want you dating random guys."

"Fine!" she yelled, grabbing her cell phone from her back pocket and dialing a number. "I'm telling him to meet me at the sub-shop one hour later… are you sure you don't want to double date?"

"No." he replied immediately. He still wasn't ready to move on. 

//////

Justin fidgeted, sitting on a table in the sub-station.

"Relax, you're just meeting your sister's boyfriend, not your Math teacher." She teased, popping another marshmallow into her mouth.

"I'm not scared of my math teacher." Justin snapped back. "And stop eating those! Alex!"

He tried to slap her hand away, but somehow ended up holding it. He froze, the familiar tingling returned to him again.

"Alex?" came a voice.

"Mike!" Alex saw her boyfriend standing two feet away, looking at them, and immediately withdrew her hand from Justin's.

This time, there was the stinging feeling in Justin's heart. 

"Justin, this is Mike." Alex introduced. "And Mike, that's Justin, my brother."

"Oh." Mike relaxed, relieved to hear he was her brother, and grinned slightly. "The dorky one?"

Alex laughed and Justin glared at her.

"Sorry man, those were Alex's words…" Mike apologized. "You aren't as dorky as she said you were... in fact, you look quite cool."

"Nah, you are nice." Justin said, smiling and then turned to look at Alex. "Congrats Alex, looks like you found your normal person." 

Alex smiled back and linked her arms with Mike's as Justin walked away.

The stinging feeling returned to him again. He wasn't jealous- he was hurt. But he told himself he was just being worried about his little sister… maybe he should have known this guy a bit more before giving him the green card?

/////

"Dude, what's up?" Mike asked, joining Justin in front of an ice-cream shop.

"Just buying an ice-cream… you want one?" Justin offered sweetly.

"Sure, if it's your treat though."

"Ah, now I see why Alex likes you…" Justin teased as he took out his wallet and started rummaging through it for the exact money.

Mike gasped. "You have your sister's photo in your wallet?"

"Uh… yeah…" Justin said, gulping hard. He was so busted.

"Oh." Mike said casually, taking the ice-cream from the vendor. "What about Max's?" 

"Umm… no…" Justin replied, and suddenly, his hands were trembling around the ice-cream stick.

"Why not?" Mike asked coolly again, licking the ice-cream.

"Umm… Alex and I have always been closer to each other than Max..." He said honestly, because that _was_ true- it just wasn't the _only_ reason why he kept her photo in his wallet.

Mike nodded, like he actually believed him, and glanced at his clock. "Oh man, it's already 4. I gotta go before Alex gets mad. See you later, dude!"

"Yeah, see you!" Justin waved as Mike ran away. "Phew!"

//////

"Hey" Justin greeted as Alex entered the living room.

"Hey", she replied briefly, walking up to the fridge.

"How was the date?"

"Fine." She replied concisely as she sipped some water from a bottle.

"And…?" he pushed further.

"Mom, I'm just gonna go to my room…" Alex announced, ignoring his question and walking up the stairs.

"Wait, Alex, is something wrong?" Justin asked instantly, praying that he wasn't the cause of the problem.

"No." Alex snapped as she started walking up the stairs.

"Wait, Alex-" Justin grabbed her hand and forced her to turn around. "What's this?" He asked, pointing at a bruise mark in her arm.

"I… I fell down…" she replied, yanking her hand free from his grasp and running upstairs again.

Justin sighed in relief. So that was why little princess was so mad- she never really liked bruises, she said it made her look less charming than usual. He didn't believe that- she always looked beautiful- always.

/////

"Hey", he said, opening the door to her room. "I brought you some medicines…"

No reply came.

"Alex?"

He took in the darkness in the room, and noticed a sleeping form in the bed. He smiled and quietly walked up to the bed. He took out the cotton and started cleaning the wound, before applying antiseptic cream. When he was done, he looked at her face. He couldn't see it properly because of the lack of light **("Will it kill you to sleep with a night light on?" he still yells.) **but he could see that her eyes were closed. He gently took her hand in his and gave it a slight squeeze. "Goodnight my little doll…" he whispered as he walked out of the room.

Once the door was closed, Alex sat up. Wiping the tears, she gently touched the bruise in her arm, and sighed, relieved that Justin didn't realize she was awake and crying. Clutching the dolls closer to her chest, she let the tears flow again…

_She had to let him go… for the sake of all of them- Three lives depended on her decision now, including her own wretched one. _

//////

By next week, he knew something was wrong- she had stopped talking to him.

"Hey" Mike waved, entering the sub-station. "Is your sister home?"

"I don't know." Justin mumbled, frowning.

Mike stopped in his tracks and stared at him. "You guys fighting again?"

Justin shook his head. "We would be if she was talking to me…"

Mike chuckled. "You know Alex and her whims… God knows what is going on in her mind… it'll be over soon. I'll talk to her." He assured, as he climbed up the stairs.

Justin smiled to himself. At least his sister had a nice boyfriend.

///

"So… why aren't you talking to Justin again?" Mike asked during the lunch date.

Alex shrugged.

"He looks kind of sad…" Mike said, glancing at Justin.

"Why do you care?" Alex hissed, giving him a cold glare.

Mike glared back at her. "I'm not a bad person Alex… just a bit possessive, okay? I didn't say you couldn't talk to him… I just wanted the unnecessary hand-holding and arm-grabbing to stop…"

Alex shook her head. "No Mike, it's better this way…"

//////

By next month, Justin knew she wasn't going to talk to him. He had made up his mind- he was leaving for college in a far, far away place, far away from her, far away from the feelings (hopefully). His application was accepted and he was ready to leave.

"_Just walk away,_

_Oh and don't look back,_

'_Cause if my heart breaks,_

_It's gonna hurt so bad._

_You know I'm strong,_

_But I can't take this._

_It's going too late…_

_Oh just walk away."_

_-High School Musical 3_

/////

(A/N: a lot of changes took place here. It's a sort of filler chapter, not much jalex or emotions involved, but I promise it'll be better from the next chapter. Things are going to get dramatic, angsty, emotional and a LOT better from next chapter. Review for faster update, reviews kind of dropped in last chapter :( even though hits increased! BTW the 10,000 word jalex one-shot will be called "Breathless". Watch out for it!)


	11. Ch 10: the final goodbye?

**Warning**: This chapter might be a tear-jerker. I suggest you listen to a sad song while reading it for best effect. Long chapter- around 2900 words. Rated for almost attempted suicide.

**Disclaimer**: yeah, don't own the show or the characters or the songs at the beginning and end

/////

"_I close my eyes, and I can see_

_the day we met-_

_Just one moment and I knew,_

_You're my best friend, do anything for you…_

…_The time has come_

_It's for the best I know it._

_Who could have guessed that you and I-_

_Somehow someday we'd have to say goodbye?"_

_-A song from Pokemon_

/////

Alex entered Justin's room, without knocking, closing the door behind her softly, as she looked around the room she grew up sleeping in, and noticed how different it looked. His clothes were (neatly) packed in suitcases and boxes. His (annoyingly big and useless) books were also packed already. His book-shelves looked so empty, so un-Justin-like, that her heart was filled with a strange emotion of **restlessness **within seconds. The photo-frames in his wall were missing; the tears of blood posters were gone too. There was a strange feeling of **emptiness** in her heart when she noticed that his favorite actions figures had been packed away too; and her lips quivered involuntarily. 

"Hey." Justin greeted, while trying to close a suitcase, never even looking up at her. He always did sense her presence…

"Hey." Alex whispered back as she moved closer to him, and understood that he was huffing from trying to close the suitcase. "Need a hand?" she offered as sweetly as she could manage.

Justin chuckled. "I always knew you'd offer to pack my bags."

Alex wanted to retort, she really did, but the words never formed in her brain, and the **incoherent random words** that came to her mind suddenly **choked** in her throat. She could feel tears brimming in her questioning eyes and a lump rising in her throat. It felt exactly the same way it did some ten years back, when Justin went to some Math camp (nerd fest) for a week or so, leaving her behind. The only difference was that, she knew he'd come back from Math camp, but college? What happens after that? He'd get a job; move to another state, get married and…..

She sighed. Thoughts are the most decisive instruments of the mind- they can make our heart swell with emotions and ache with pain**.** _(She always knew thinking was bad_.) The very thought of Justin never coming back destroyed her last shred of self-control, and tears finally came streaming down her pale cheeks.

Justin finally looked up at her, feeling the foreign silence and uncomfortable atmosphere between them. He was shocked when he saw _his doll_ cry. "Alex?" He asked softly, suddenly seeing the pain hidden in his chest being reflected in her teary eyes.

"I… you…we…" Alex stomped her feet, feeling infuriated at her inability to form sentences. She was expecting Justin to run up to her, maybe hug her (or kiss her) and end this pain. But when he didn't move from the place on the floor where he was sitting, photo frames still in his shaking hands, ready to be locked in the already full suitcase, she sighed in defeat and sat down on his bed. "Don't leave me." She blurted out as she covered her tear-stained face with her own shaking hands and crossed her knees to her chest.

Justin sighed, getting up and walking to the window to enjoy the view of the beauty of New York City's night, probably for the last time. "You always knew I'd leave for college someday."

Alex hiccupped, clutching his bed-sheet and bringing it near her nose. She inhaled the scent and marveled at how it still smelt like him-some kind of disinfectant soap and sandal. "Not after all of this." She whispered, referring to the things that had happened ever since the vacation.

"You haven't talked to me in months." Justin stated, as he closed his eyes to form the images of that vacation in his mind.

Alex hiccupped again. "Are you leaving because of that?" She asked, anticipating her worst fear to come true. When Justin didn't answer, her suspicions were confirmed. "Justin, I'm sorry. Please, don't punish me for that." She pleaded, bringing her hands together in front of her chest in a praying gesture in her desperate attempt to stop him.

Justin sighed, his back still turned towards her, as the tears finally found their way out of his forcefully closed eyes. He wasn't punishing her; he was punishing himself for his sin. "It's too late…" he whispered in a cracking voice.

Alex groaned and shook her head, allowing more tears to fall from her eyes. "No Justin. Please don't say that. It's never too late for us. _Please_."

Justin turned around, finally studying her properly. _His doll_ was a total mess; hair tangled and uncombed, probably for days, eyes with dark-circles due to lack of sleep, and a few bruise marks on her hands. "Alex?" he asked, suddenly feeling guilty for her wretched condition. "What did you do to yourself!" he exclaimed in horror as he sat down beside her and finally offered a hug.

Alex ran into his arms, (_just like she did whenever she fell off the swings, into the muddy playground_), and let the tears free-flow. His arms were **strong, protective** around her, yet **trembling** every few minutes as he sobbed. She buried her face in his chest, fisting his shirt with all her might, not wanting to _ever_ let go, and her lips quivered once in a while. Silence was echoing through the soon-to-be deserted room, they could hear the ticking of the wall clock, signaling how close they were to their final farewell. "Mike is a good guy. He'd take good care of you." Justin whispered into her ear, causing her sobs to increase.

He pulled away from her slightly and looked into her eyes. Her chocolate orbs were reflecting the full moon's fluorescent light, and he could see the personified image of love in them.

"Please Justin. One last time." She pleaded as she looked at his lips and then back into his eyes.

Justin gulped as looked at her eyes, and then at her lips. Her lips were soft, full and inviting, and it made him lose his self-control. He gave in to their _lustful_ invitation, already feeling _vulnerable_ because of the impending farewell, no longer able to control himself. _**Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin**_…

When they pulled apart after two minutes of tongue battle, her crying subsided and he wiped her remaining tears with his thumb.

But the three words that they both wanted to say (and hear) never came. No one dared to say the one thing that could have stopped him from going away- the only thing that could have changed their lives forever.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Alex asked, carefully searching his eyes and face for any emotion that might help her to stop him from going away.

Justin only nodded, not trusting his voice anymore, and patted her shoulder comfortingly. He got up from the bed abruptly and went back to packing the photo-frames inside his suitcase again.

He slept with _his doll_ in his arms that night, just like he did when they were kids. But the safety and comfort was gone. They clung onto each other tightly, not wanting to let go, yet knowing this bliss would last only for a few hours. He would even have used the Giasday Timestay spell to make the moment last, but the longer they stayed together; the harder it would have been for them to separate.

"Promise me you'll come back home during vacations?" She pleaded into his chest.

"I can't Alex…" he sobbed helplessly.

**("What do you mean 'helplessly'? Say like a little girl." She teases now.**

"**This wasn't funny Alex." He scolds.**

"**Yeah but it is funny ****now****." She snaps.**

"**You are speaking at ****exactly**** the wrong moments and ruining the angst and emotion my story is conveying with your lame retorts!" He growls. **

"**Relax dude, I'm just trying to ease off some of the pain. I don't want the listeners to cry!" She defends herself.)**

"Please Justin, please." She howled. "Please, _please_, **please**!"

Justin sighed. It was impossible not to give in to those pained eyes. "Fine, I will come back on vacations Alex, I promise…"

She relaxed a bit in his arms and took in a deep breath. That was reassuring…at least she'll get to see him again.

"Stay out of trouble." He warned. "I won't be there to bail you out anymore."

Her sobs increased again. It was so painful to even imagine a day without Justin. He tightened his hold on her, as she buried her face in his chest. She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep as she wondered what life would be like for her from the very next day…

/////

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep. But when he woke up the next morning, he found that she was already gone, just like he had expected.

She didn't even come to say goodbye, and he was thankful for that, because seeing her vulnerable again would shatter his already broken heart into a million more pieces. He bid farewell to his crying mother, his trying-and-failing-not-to-cry father, and his sobbing little brother.

"Take care of mom and dad while I'm gone." He whispered, as he pulled Max into a hug. Max nodded as he hugged back his brother tightly.

"Take care of Alex for me, okay?" he commanded gently.

Max nodded again and pulled away. "I don't think Alex will be the same without you Justin… but I'll try to."

Justin nodded too, as he smiled sadly at his parents one last time. He exited the loft, climbed down the stairs, and walked out of the sub-shop, a thousand jumbled memories trailing behind him. 

He looked at his home one last time. His parents and his brother were standing at the balcony, wiping their tears and waving at him. But she was still missing. His eyes drifted to the window of her room, and he saw her, standing there, immobile as a statue, no tears in her cold eyes. He tore his eyes away from her, and started running away, with the horrifying picture of her last glance painted in his mind forever.

**She was a doll. His doll. But she wasn't a puppet- he would never try to pull some strings and control her life. He was possessive- but he never thought of himself as her owner. He had to let her go, for her own good.**

**She was a doll. His doll. She was his best friend- just like dolls were for little kids. She belonged to him; she belonged in his arms, in his house, just like dolls belonged to their dollhouse, besides the other pair of the doll. He loved spending time with her; just little girls do with their dolls.**

**He loved playing **_**along with**_** her, but not **_**with**_** her- not with her life. He couldn't ruin her life; he had to let her go. **

**She was a doll. She deserved a happy ending.**

//////

Alex stood at the terrace, her eyes still cold and emotionless. Max stood behind her, carefully looking over her, to make sure she didn't do anything stupid in the spur of the moment, and also to fulfill his promise to Justin.

"I miss him too." He said softly, looking at the ground. "Just as much as you do Alex."

"No you don't." Alex snapped, her voice venomous and frightening. "You don't miss him as much as I miss him. You don't want him right here right now. You don't _need_ him right here right now. You don't want to go _anywhere_ and do _anything_ to get him back! You don't feel SHATTERED to think that he'll NEVER come back again! **You don't want to go to that stupid college, yank him by his collar and bring him home right now! You don't miss him like i do Max, because you don't love him**!"

She stood there, chest heaving up and down, eyes wild with rage, taking in deep breaths, still unable to realize what she had just said. 

"What do you mean Alex? I love him too! He's my brother as well." Max protested, still speaking softly to calm her down.

**("That was a close one. Good thing it was just Maxie." Alex chuckles. **

"**I thought I'd be the first one to know. And I was the last one. You guys are so unfair! You are the worst siblings ever!" Max complains.) **

"I love him…." She barely whispered, not audible to Max, her voice cracking, tears flowing down from her eyes. She was going through a mixed pathway of emotions- indifference and non-chalance, followed by anger and rage, and then blinding pain and helplessness. Only one person could deal with such mood change, but he wasn't with her anymore! He was sitting in some **stupid plane**, calmly reading some **stupid book**, while she stood there acting like a lunatic. 

Alex looked up at the sky with tear filled eyes as a plane flew through it, and her mind quickly assumed it was Justin leaving New York. _Forever_. She tore her eyes away from the offending object in the sky as memories of their childhood came back to her again- watching that same sky together at the terrace, laughing and teasing each other, making wishes on shooting stars… But this time, it was different. It wasn't the soft, peaceful night sky, it was the scorching, glaring day sky, it's endlessness reminding her of her own endless pain, it's unfamiliarity reminding her that he wasn't by her side anymore…. 

She ran into her room, unable to stay in the terrace any longer with the memories haunting her, ignoring Max's calls, and closed the door tightly behind her.

"Alex, honey, please open the door!" her mother pleaded in an anxious tone, banging on the hardwood frame frantically.

"Go away!" Alex yelled, throwing a random vase at the door, making it crack with a loud noise.

**("It's a ****horrible**** thing to throw stuff like this." Theresa still scolds. **

"**Hey, Justin fixed it later, didn't he?" Alex snaps.) **

"Jerry, we need to get in there. What if she does something stupid?" Theresa panicked.

"Theresa, relax." Jerry said softly, putting his arms around her to calm her down, and then brought his face near the door, speaking in a loud voice so that Alex could hear him. "_**I know**_, **Alex wouldn't do anything like that. She won't be able to. She'll think of us, she'll think of **_**Justin**_**, before she does something**."

Alex paused midway, as her parents' face flashed in front of her eyes, and then Justin's. She couldn't do this; she couldn't do this to her parents, to _Justin_… Justin would hate her forever for this. She threw the dangerous object in her hand aside, threw the door open and ran up to her parents, engulfing them in a hug.

"It'll be fine, we are here honey", Jerry whispered soothingly to his little girl.

//////

"Are you sure you'll be all right on your own?" Theresa asked skeptically, once she finished force-feeding Alex.

Alex nodded, clutching the photo-frame closer to her chest.

"Trust me Alex, you and Justin have always been close, you'll always stay close." Theresa assured, giving a soft kiss on her forehead.

Alex nodded again, as her mother left the room. She sighed and pulled the photo-frame away, staring at it again. She had whined and complained about being photographed with the king of the dorks on her tenth birthday, but he had still being nice enough and smiled for the camera. She touched the photo gently with her fingers, running it gently over his face. She missed him so much, his eyes, his smile, his smirk, his grin… his everything.

Suddenly, she remembered something. She put the photo aside, got up from the bed and ran up to her closet, taking the two dolls out. 'Alex' and 'Justin'. She ran up to her basement, and walked up to the dollhouse- the dollhouse they had grown up playing with, and the dollhouse that he had bought back with his 400 dollars just to save her.

She placed the dolls in it, 'Alex' leaning her head onto 'Justin's shoulder, just like the real Alex did, way back in Transylvania. She smiled to herself through her tears, as she placed the doll house in a hidden place of the basement, where _no one_ could find it, where _nothing_ could tear 'Justin' and 'Alex' apart…

_**Who said dolls couldn't have a happy ending?**_

"_Slowly, in tiptoes, I wonder how and when_

_you went ahead of me on the road; _

_but you were right here just now!_

_ You didn't listen to anything._

_When was the complaint?_

_How could you say goodbye?_

_Those among whom I found life till yesterday,_

_those arms, those cold shades,_

_I bid them farewell as well…_

_Goodbye, goodbye my path,_

_My breath is saying goodbye._

_Goodbye, goodbye. What else is there to say,_

_When you have already said goodbye?"_

_-An approximate translation of "__Alvida__" from Life in a Metro_

_(It's my FAV Hindi sad song EVER)_

////

(A/N: don't worry, this is NOT THE END. There will be more. If any of you is interested in the rest of the translated lyrics of any Bollywood songs I have used anywhere, feel free to PM me :) Wow, I didn't know I could be such a cheesy sentimental freak LOL. Well, I'm happy with this chapter, what about you? Please review! More reviews= faster update. I updates faster this time since you reviewed a lot!)


	12. Ch 11: Distance and proximity

Warning: Long chapter again. Around 3200 words.

Disclaimer: do not own wowp or the characters (except Mike) or the songs I have used.

/////

Chapter 11: Distance and proximity

"_Oceans apart, day after day,_

_And I slowly go insane._

_I hear your voice, I'm alive,_

_But it doesn't stop the pain…_

…_Wherever you go, whatever you do,_

_I'll be right here waiting for you._

_Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks,_

_I'll be right here waiting for you."_

_-Right here waiting for you by Richard Marx_

///////

Mike entered the sub-shop and noticed Alex, sitting on an empty table with a book in her hand, her restless eyes fixed on the pages.

"Hey", he greeted, walking up to her and sitting down in front of her. "Are you trying to pretend that you are _studying_?"

"I _am_ studying Mike." She murmured softly.

"Alex, don't." he snapped, snatching the book away. "Look, I _really_ think that you need to Justin now."

"No, I told you I am study-" she began instinctively, but paused when his words dawned on her, her eyes turning wide with shock and confusion. "Wait, are you asking me to _talk to Justin_?"

Mike nodded and smiled.

"But you said you wanted-"

"-The unnecessary touches to stop." Mike cut her off. "Now that Justin is gone, it will."

"But-"

"-Alex, Justin left this place so that you could live happily. I trust Justin… it's you I don't trust."

Alex sighed. "But why? Why are you asking me to call him up? Why do you care?"

Mike sighed too. "Because I love you. I can't see you this miserable! I told you, I'm not a bad person, just a bit possessive."

"And abusive." Alex murmured under her breath, but Mike heard her anyway.

He glared at her. "Look, just call him up…I don't see any harm if you call up your brother and just talk to him…"

And Mike was so wrong, so oblivious towards her feelings. She had grown up with Justin. Their relation was so delicate, fragile, yet so steady, so strong; it couldn't be broken by distance or shattered by time. They could simply hear each other's voice and picture the other person. Just from the tone of their voice; they could easily tell how they were feeling at that very moment…. There was so much harm in calling him up and talking to him, but she didn't care, because she missed him, and she needed to hear his voice right there, right then…

//////

Justin's heart skipped a beat when he noticed her wand number on his caller id. Why was she calling him? Was he dreaming again?

"Hello….?" He greeted, answering the call.

"Hey Justin." She whispered, sitting down on her bed and closing her eyes softly.

He took in a deep breath. That was the voice he had been longing to hear, even though he could close his eyes and hear that voice in his mind anytime.

"Justin?" she whispered timidly, scared at not getting his response.

"Sorry, just got a little distracted", Justin murmured, scratching the back of his head. "So…. Wassup?"

"Why didn't you call me up to see how I was doing?" she demanded instead of answering him, her voice small, innocent and childish.

"Because… I _knew _you were all right." He reasoned.

"Oh really? You just leave me all alone one fine day and then you think I'll be fine! Great, Justin! A-MAZING!" she yelled.

He winced at her yelling and licked his dry lips, trying to come up with a good excuse. "No… I knew you'd be all right because…. because you've got the whole family with you!"

"The _whole_ family is not with me Justin." She whispered. "_You_ are not with me…"

He sighed and sat down on the chair in his room, rubbing his forehead with his free-hand. "Look, Alex, I understand how you feel-"

"-I know you do! I just don't know why you _still_ didn't call me up!" She complained.

Justin winced again. They were talking after 7 days, and wow, they started fighting right away! _Some things never change_.

"Justin!" Alex snapped.

Justin sighed. "I don't want to ruin your life…"

"How does talking with me ruin my life? Pfft." She scoffed, but she knew better than that. The feelings had intensified the moment she heard his voice again.

"Alex, please, just forget this." He pleaded. "Look, I'm sorry, okay. I'll call you up every day from now on, I promise."

"Promise?" she murmured.

"Yes, promise." Justin assured. "So, um, Alex…um, are you okay?" he asked, even though he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear her answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." She lied, not wanting to confess about her miserable condition and make him worried.

The tears that he didn't know had been forming started pouring from his eyes. From the way she said those words, he could tell how upset she was at that very moment. He thought he was the more unhappy one, but now, he began to doubt that. **Which was worse? His life-** living in a completely new place, a dorm, in a famous university, with new people whom he didn't know at all, with no one to ruffle his hair when he was feeling down, or turn off the lights when he fell asleep while studying, away from his family, his friends, the city, the memories, away from the people he loved, away from her; **or her life-** living in the same place, the same house, with the same people, where everything was same and familiar, except for him missing, where every single object would trigger some memory or other in her mind**?**

"Are _you_ all right?" she questioned.

He quickly wiped his tears with the back of his palm. "Yeah, I'm fine too." He replied, and cringed when his voice cracked.

"Justin, are you crying?" she asked in wide alarm.

"No." he sobbed, wiping his nose with a tissue.

She made a face at that disgusting sound, but decided not to talk about that in such a serious moment. "Missing home?"

"Yeah." He muttered. "A lot."

"We are missing you too…." She whispered, as her own eyes began to spill as well.

"Is everyone else at home okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Mom and dad were pretty upset at the beginning, but then I was being depressed and I tried to do something that you really don't want to know about, so their focus shifted to me, and now they are fine… and Max is, well, Max, but he misses you too."

He sighed as he heard a knock at his door. "Alex, I got to go, it's time for my class."

"Oh, okay, I understand", she said, even though her voice betrayed her disappointment.

"I'll call you back later, I promise." He reassured.

"Oh, okay, bye Justin."

"Bye... Talk to you later!"

"Love you" they both whispered only after they hung up the phone- saying those 3 words was just so damn hard! Alex had never imagined herself to be the nervous, scared, sappy kind of girl; she always thought she could easily confess her feelings to any boy. But Justin wasn't any boy, he was Justin, her brother, and she knew her words could destroy their relation and their lives forever... so going against her impulsive, carefree, Alex instincts, she decided to keep quiet- again. 

/////

They talked on the phone every single day, because it was _impossible_ to live without any contact with each other. Besides, he didn't feel a simple phone conversation could do them any harm, if the entire hugging-and-kissing for the most part of their life didn't.

"You all right?" he'd ask every day.

"Yupe, I'm fine. You?" she'd ask back.

"I'm fine too." He'd lie as he bit his lip to control the pain in his heart that crept back in the second he heard her voice (The pain didn't leave him any time, but that was a different kind of pain, a pain of longing. This- this was a pain of forbidden love_.)_

"How's academics?" she'd ask.

"Oh, it's great. Everything going fine with Mike?" he'd ask back.

"Yupe. Everything's great." She'd lie as she touched the bruises in her arms and wrists again.

And then there would be silence between them unless he said goodbye and hung up. This silence was sometimes comfortable, understanding and loving, but sometimes it was so haunting and petrifying that he couldn't even sleep for nights.

//////

"I miss you." She had confessed one day.

"I miss you too." He had admitted as his mind re-played the 1000 reasons why he shouldn't.

"You're coming home on vacation, right?" she had asked, her voice showing a hint of hopefulness.

"Yeah", he replied, smiling to himself, as some of his pain dissipated. "I'll go home…" He promised again.

/////

His nights would be sleepless, breathless, but never painless or dreamless. He'd wake up in the mornings, to find himself crying and sweating for no reason (or maybe it was her).

His days were hectic, studies consuming his life, leaving him little time to think. But while taking notes, he'd glance at the familiar carvings in his geometry box and smile. He had been _so_ mad at her when she had carved demons in his brand new geometry box, but at that moment, he couldn't help but he grateful. He'd catch himself staring at his watch more often than he intended to- the watch that she bought him on his 18th birthday (with his money, thank you.) 

**("You wouldn't have bought it by yourself. You would have never spent so much money on a watch!" She pouts.)**

//////

When he entered the sub-shop after _months-years-ages_, he froze in his tracks. Everything looked so different- he hadn't been here for so long! The walls were painted in alternate patterns of dark red and black- _Alex_, he knew immediately, and he would have been horrified and yelling at her at that moment, if the urge to see her again and hold her in his arms wasn't stronger. The chairs and tables were still the same- only a lot messier. The floor looked like it badly needed a cleaning, and if he wasn't so tired, he would have started working on it at that very moment.

"Oh, there you are!" Theresa exclaimed, as she ran out of the kitchen and towards a table to place the orders. "Jerry, Justin's home!" she yelled.

"Hi, Justin! Welcome home, son!" He yelled back from the kitchen.

Wait… what? No hugs? No crying? No 'I miss you'? This wasn't the welcome that he had expected.

Justin looked around the sub-shop. The tables were filled with customers. His mother was running back and forth between the kitchen and the shop to place the orders in time. She looked so tired, sweat sticking to her forehead, age weakening her limbs and making her movements painful. His father was busy preparing the food in the kitchen, and he had lost so much hair in just such a short time! He also noticed Max, sitting on a stool, busy reading something, chewing his pencil in his mouth in an attempt to concentrate.

"Max…?" He greeted, walking up to him.

"Hmm?" Max looked up from the book, and turning around, noticed Justin. "JUSTIN! Whoa! You are here!" He yelled as he hugged his brother tightly. "I've missed you so much!"

Justin smiled as he hugged him back. "I missed you too buddy… so, what's going on in here, why aren't you working?"

"My shift starts in another half an hour. I'm studying… I have a test tomorrow." Max announced.

Justin nodded and smiled proudly at him. "Do you need help?"

Max shook his head. "No… thanks Justin. I think you should help mom instead… she looks so tired…"

Justin frowned as he remembered something. "I can't believe Alex is still cutting her shifts…" He grumbled through gritted teeth.

"What! No!" Max protested instantly, "Mom and dad are the ones who decided that she wouldn't be working here anymore… she's been so rude and dark ever since you left. She's got into fights with customers many times…. In fact, I think it'd be a better idea to check on her right now… she's in your room upstairs."

Justin nodded, as took unsure steps towards the staircase, his stomach clenching in anticipation and his heart dancing in excitement_- love can generate such opposite feelings!_

//////

Justin entered his room and froze in his tracks. He hadn't been here for so long… yet, nothing that changed here. Alex had threatened many times to burn down his room once he left, and even though he knew she wasn't serious, he couldn't be sure- _it's Alex after all. _

Walking in the room and closing the door behind him, he looked around and saw that it was exactly the way he left it. Neat, clean, empty…. Alex.

Alex. There was Alex, sitting on his bed, eyes closed, tears flowing down her cheeks, clutching her dolls to her chest- so _vulnerable_, so _fragile_.

"Alex…?" He whispered, his voice so faint that she didn't even hear him. He moved closer to her, sitting down on his bed beside her, and spoke again, this time a little louder. "Alex?"

She opened her eyes and stared at him- her expression blank for a moment, until her eyes became dark with shock, confusion, fear and uncertainty. "J…Justin..?" she stuttered.

He took in a deep breath a nodded. "Yes, it's really me, Alex."

Her face immediately lighted up with a bright smile, and she jumped into his arms, leaving her dolls by her side, making him lean backwards and support their weight by placing a hand on the bed. "Oh my gosh, Justin, it's really you!" she yelled in excitement, as she let out a laugh. "You are here… you are home again!"

And finally, he realized what home meant for him. "Yeah, I'm home again…" he smiled back as he stroked her hair with his free hand.

She pulled back slightly to look at his face. His hair had grown longer, falling on his forehead and eyes, and she gently brushed it back with her hand. And he was wearing spectacles? Didn't they agree that he'd be wearing lens?

"My lens is in my backpack." He assured, and he could _still_ read her mind.

She examined his face further. He was growing a bit of beard, but it was nice, and he didn't have a moustache, so okay. She smiled in relief, now she wouldn't have to charm him to sleep and give him a makeover.

"You didn't get a girlfriend, right?" She asked, her voice cold, threatening, possessive- very much Alex-y.

"No", he assured, giving her a small smile. He had made up his mind to remain single- forever- and he knew she knew that, and she was secretly thankful.

He smiled to himself. Now it was his turn to examine her face. Her cheeks were moist with tears- but there were no smudges of trailing mascara or eye-liner. She hadn't even bothered to wear any make-up- she was that upset. Her hair was the same length, of the same smell (strawberry), and her eyes were still bright, shimmering, lively and mischievous… Her lips were still soft, full and inviting, and he had to look away before he lost himself again.

"Done staring at me?" she teased , titling her head to the side.

"Not quite", he retorted, in a not-so-smooth tone, something so familiar, so Justin-like, that it made her smile. "Yeah, Alex, I'm done." He reassured, chuckling.

"Good." She snapped, before she attacked him with a hug again. "I miss you." She said, pouting against his well-toned chest. "I was so lonely without you… and have you been hitting the gym?" she asked, suddenly breaking into their usual conversations.

"Yeah, I've been working out." He said smugly, before being serious again. "And you've got to get yourself back up together Alex. Mom really needs your help down there." 

"Mommy's little pet." Alex murmured, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. "You still act like a little boy." 

"Looks who's talking", he snapped, gesturing at the dolls with his index finger.

"I.. uh…" she sighed, pulling away, looking at his eyes sincerely, and confessed. "I like to keep them with me when I'm missing you… they remind me of you."

He nodded, before hugging her again. "I miss you too Alex…"

And once again, they both failed to say the three words that they had been planning to say all these months. Why was this so damn hard?

"So… what do you want to do now?" she asked, once she pulled away.

"Sleep?" he said, yawning.

She frowned and narrowed her eyes threateningly. "You are still no fun."

He grinned. "Would you still say that if I tell you that I have made new friends?"

"With whom? The guy who puts himself to sleep by reciting math formulas?" she scoffed.

He glared at her. "It is a very good way of falling asleep… and those guys are really great."

She rolled her eyes and got up from the bed, walking towards his suitcases. "Need help unpacking these?"

"Don't even think about stealing my things." He warned.

"I wasn't thinking about that, but, well, thank you Justin." She smiled mischievously, taking out her wand and unpacking everything with a spell.

"Alex! You can't use magic like that!" he scolded.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Sure I can. Just keep watching."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I think we should go down and help mom and dad."

"Oh no, I can't, I think you haven't heard but-"

"-Max told me." He cut her off. "I'm thinking about talking to mom and dad and giving you back your job- as long as you promise to behave yourself again, and stop being so rude, apathetic, annoying, lazy, snarky-"

"Yeah, you are back." She said, smiling, as she walked out of the room, him following her.

/////

If Alex is asked to list her most favorite memories, the month that Justin spent at home would definitely be one of them. Living together again, teasing and taunting, laughing and mocking, fighting and pulling pranks- life was so normal, so_ usual_ again. Even now, she can close her eyes and remember all those moments.

/////

"Hey." Alex whispered, walking into his room. "Done packing?"

"Yupe, not much to pack this time…" he chuckled.

She sighed and sat down on the bed. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too." he smiled as he took her hands in his, "but remember Alex, no matter how far we are, we will always stay close, _always_."

She smiled back. "I know that now Justin" she whispered, as she leant in for a goodbye kiss. _**Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin…**_

He watched her walk away from his room and wondered- if they could kiss each other like that every now and then, why couldn't they get those 3 simple words out? 

"Forever, Alex." He whispered to himself, closing his eyes. "I love you forever, no matter where I am…"

"_Even a thousand of miles, can't keep us apart._

'_cause my heart is, wherever you are._

_It's like catching lightening, the chances of finding _

_Someone like you._

_It's one in a million the chances of feeling,_

_The way we do."_

_-High School Musical 3, Can I have this dance_

(A/N: yeah, I started adding scenes and details and it got that long. Thanks for sticking around and not being bored yet :P Mike is an OC, but I won't use him so much in this story. It's a jalex, let's not lose focus :P review for faster update!)


	13. Ch 12: bitter goodbye, harsh truth

Warning: another long and emotional chapter. 3000 words.

Disclaimer: don't own the show or the characters (except Mike) or my fav songs which I have used at the beginning and end.

////

Chapter 12: The bitter goodbye, the harsh truth

"_I kept hearing what you didn't say,_

_I kept painting dreams uselessly._

_I wonder whose evil eye is on us._

_There is no place for me in this city anymore._

_I kept moving away from my desire,_

_I kept painting dreams uselessly."_

_-an approximate translation of 'Tune jo na Kahaan' from 'New York'_

_(Yes, it's the name of an Indian movie LOL)_

_////_

He went home on vacations. They hung out, had fun, fought and teased each other. She pulled pranks on him, he got her out of trouble.

She skipped college, he scolded her, she pointed out that they all knew it'd be that way, he sighed dramatically, she rolled her eyes.

Everything was being normal again.

(Or so they told themselves during the months when they were apart and the pain was urging them to kill themselves.) 

/////

**Around 3 years later**

"Hello?" Justin greeted, answering his phone.

"Can you guess what happened?" Mike asked, skipping the formal greetings part, thrilled with excitement.

"Numerous…" Justin replied, keeping his book aside. _This couldn't be good._ "Umm, your dad finally forgave you for breaking the family vase?"

"Pfft. Not even close!" Mike scoffed. "And it was an accident."

"Sure. Deciding to skateboard in the middle of the living room is definitely an accident." Justin teased. "I've never seen anyone else do that."

"Alex does it." Mike pointed out.

Justin shrugged. "Well, you've got a point. But if you don't mind, I've got to get back to the book I was reading. So….?"

"Oh, trust me; this is better than your boring books." Mike snapped. "My dearest dorky friend, I'm happy to announce that I've finally got a job."

Justin gasped and his mouth hung open.

"Justin!" Mike snapped again.

"Sorry dude but I… I can't believe it… you got a job!" Justin yelled in excitement, earning a glare from his roommate. "Sorry" he mouthed to his room mate.

"I know right… Now I can finally ask Alex to marry me." Mike said as he smiled to himself.

Justin's smile faded, and his heart sank at that thought. Even though he was happy that Alex had a boyfriend and a normal life, even though he had set her free and never regretted it, even though he had, surprisingly, found a great friend in Mike, he had already accepted his feelings for Alex, surrendering to them, and that mere thought was enough to shatter his heart.

"Justin?" Mike asked hesitantly.

"Umm, sorry, I was just… this is so shocking… I…" Justin trailed off, unable to think of an excuse, as a result of his brain being overpowered by his aching heart.

"I know… I gotta go tell Alex now. Later dude."

"Yeah, later." Justin said as he hung up.

Justin leant onto the headboard of his bed, closed his eyes and sighed. In the past three years, things had been so normal, yet not so normal. Even when he was miles away from Alex, his feelings just grew stronger. _Absence makes the heart grow fonder_. He was sure of his decision- there won't be anyone else for him. He wanted to live his life alone- he didn't want to spoil someone else's life.

But he never really thought about Alex's life, he never thought about her marriage- never dared to. And now that it was about to happen, he was torn between pain of defeated love, and happiness for a dear sister and a dear friend.

/////////

"Hey Alex", Mike greeted, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"No, get off me, please, you know I don't like hugs", Alex whined, keeping her paintbrush aside.

"I have some great news for you." Mike announced, holding up a letter in front of her.

Alex snatched it from his hand, glaring at him playfully, and read it, as her eyes grew wide. "You've got a job?"

He nodded and smiled. "Yupe, in Florida."

"Wow. This is amazing…Congratulations but… that's quite far away…." (A/N: forgive me if I'm wrong, we don't have USA in geography here). Alex said, disappointment clear in her voice. "I think I'm gonna miss you…" she said sincerely.

"What! No!" Mike protested. "You should totally come with me."

"I can't... I... I grew up here… my whole family lives here…" Alex reasoned, "Plus, I have my art studio here."

"Oh come on, you are a great artist. You can have your art studio anywhere!"

"First of all, thank you for thinking I'm a great artist." Alex said, grinning, but then, her expression turned serious again. "And second, I still don't think I want to go."

"Oh" Mike muttered, and suddenly, his smile faded, and his expression darkened- his eyes wild with rage. "This is because of Justin, isn't it?"

"What! No!" Alex snapped. "Why do you think _everything_ is about Justin?"

"Because it _is_!" Mike snapped back. "You don't want to leave because Justin will move back here after completing his college. While he left his family just so you can be happy, you are giving it all away! He is sacrificing his life for you Alex, and you are being so selfish!"

"I am not being selfish!" Alex yelled, finally losing it. "You are being ridiculous. See, this is why I don't want to go away with you!"

"But you have to!" Mike yelled back, grabbing her wrists forcefully. "Stop being so stubborn Alex. You have to listen to me. Or you know what will happen."

"You are insane!" Alex exclaimed as she tried to free herself from his grasp, with no success.

"Yes, I am insane! I'm insane because of you." He yelled again, as he grabbed Alex's chin and forced her to look at him. "If I can't have you, no one else will." He threatened, as he released his hold on her.

"Start packing Alex." Mike muttered, as he left the room.

Alex sank to the chair, groaning in frustration and the humiliation of defeat, as tears spilled out of her helpless eyes.

/////

"Hey" Justin greeted, as Mike answered his call.

"Hi. Just hold on a second man, I need to turn off the microwave." Mike answered.

Justin waited as he heard a loud crash on the other end of the phone.

"Umm, okay, I'm done." Mike said, huffing.

"_Please_ don't tell me that was what I think it was." Justin muttered threateningly.

"_I know _it may seem like an explosion, _but_, it was actually, an explosion, _on the TV_. Huh? No? Okay." Mike sighed. "Hold on, let me think of another one."

Justin sighed. "You've got to read the manual!"

"It's boring!" Mike protested.

"I know, it's useless talking to you about this, so, let's just cut to the point." Justin said, straightening up a bit and taking in a deep breath, "Umm, Mike, before you guys move out, can I just meet you guys once?"

"Oh, of course. Why not!" Mike agreed instantly. "I owe you one for convincing your parents for letting Alex come with me."

"Hey, no probs, what are friends for, huh?" Justin said, chuckling. "Okay, I'll see you guys soon then?"

"Yeah, see you…"

//////

"Hey bro!" Mike greeted, instantly engulfing Justin with a hug. "Wow, you look more nerd-y today."

"Pfft. Nerd-y. That's not a word." Justin snapped as he pulled back.

Alex smiled nervously, as she fidgeted with her fingers. The two men in her life getting along so well- that should be the height of awkwardness. 

"So, I think you would want to say goodbye to your sister alone?" Mike said, glancing around. "That's okay, I'll just check out the campus." He assured as he walked away.

Alex smiled to herself as he watched Mike walk away. He could be so annoyingly sweet and understanding at times, but at other times….

"He really loves you." Justin whispered.

"Yeah." Alex whispered back, looking at him. "He does."

And the 'I really love him too' part didn't come, just as they both had expected.

Justin sighed and looked at Alex. "So… Florida, huh?" 

"Yupe." Alex replied, faking a smile.

"That's a long way… we'd probably not meet again any time soon…" Justin whispered.

"Yeah, not at least till the competition." Alex whispered back. "Man, I wonder how many more years Max will need to complete his wizard studies." She frowned in annoyance.

Justin chuckled. "My guess is- x years… and Umm, Alex, you do know that when you marry Mike you'd-"

"I know." Alex cut him off. "And I think I'm willing to give up my magic for him. He deserves that much."

Justin nodded in agreement. "I'm really proud of you Alex, and, and…" He gulped, closing his eyes and inhaling sharply. "I'm going to miss you." 

"Me too." Alex whispered, as she ran to his arms.

This was their final farewell. This was where their lives completely separated, because they both knew that once Alex moved in with Mike, she'd end all contacts with Justin. The tears were flowing around, and it all seemed like some sappy drama flick, only, a lot better, a lot personal, a lot heart wrenching. 

He wiped her tears _like always_ when they pulled away. "Remember Alex, if you ever need me, I'm just a call away." 

Alex nodded, as she climbed on her tiptoes and gave Justin a quick kiss on his lips. _**Her lips still tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin…**_

/////

**2 years later**

His dream that night was a complete mess.

_There was Alex, wearing the Lolita doll dress, standing in front of the campfire light, smiling and calling him. There was their mom in the park telling him "I told you so." There was their dad as his baseball coach telling him "I'm very disappointed in you Justin." There was Alex in Transylvania pleading him "Please don't leave me here." _

And then he had woken up to the familiar sound of his cell phone ringing. He jumped out of his bed and buried his face in his hands, trying to recollect himself, trying to tell himself it was just a dream. But the cell phone kept ringing much, to his annoyance, and he glanced at the clock in his bedroom. 3 a.m. Who the heck would call him that early in the morning?

He rubbed sleep out of his eyes, grabbed the cell phone with one tired hand and looked at the number. Alex. Under normal circumstances, he would have sworn she did it on purpose, but when they hadn't spoken to each other for years…

Justin sighed, finally deciding to answer the call with his trembling hands.

"Yes Alex?" he asked, sounding slightly more irritated than he had intended.

"Justin." He heard a sob and a yelp in pain. "Can you… help... me?" she barely managed the words out of her mouth as pain overtook her body.

Sleep went out of his body the very second, and panic entered him and filled the vacuum. "Alex! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Just…come here." She cried in pain.

He quickly threw on a random shirt, not caring to button it properly, put on a pair of jeans and grabbed his wand.

When he arrived at her apartment with the help of magic travel, he found her sitting on the kitchen floor, clutching her swollen and red foot tightly and crying in pain. He understood it instantly- _his doll had a broken leg._ But since she wasn't a plastic doll, it needed proper treatment. 

He quickly rushed her to the hospital, called in a doctor, plastered her leg and paid the bills. Two hours and a forced x-ray later, he took her back into her apartment and sat down beside her on her bed.

"Sorry I bothered you." Alex apologized, her voice barely a whisper, as her pain began to subside a bit.

"It's okay." Justin assured. "You're my little sister."

Alex cringed at the S-word but smiled at him gratefully even through the pain. "Thank you."

Justin only nodded, ruffling her hair tenderly. She looked so different, so grown up- like a woman. She was no longer the girl he had a crush on- she was the woman to whom his heart belonged. 

Noticing Mike was no where in view, he finally decided to bring up the topic. "Where's Mike?"

Alex gulped. "Umm he's… busy... with work."

Justin frowned. "At this hour of day, or should I say, night? What's the matter Alex?"

Alex sighed. "It's nothing really…"

Justin grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "You know you can tell me." And suddenly, he caught sight of a bruise in her neck. "Alex is that…?" 

He touched the wound gently, and Alex winced in pain. "It's new." He stated, confirming his fears. "Is he doing this to you?" He demanded.

Alex only nodded as she saw his other hand form into a fist and his knuckles turn white.

"That, that…. Monster!" he fumed, "All these years, he'd been lying to me! I thought he was my friend, I trusted him, I… I even convinced mom and dad to let you go with him… gosh I'm such a fool! I… He'd so pay for it…." He growled.

"Justin, please, calm down." Alex pleaded.

"**Calm down**?" Justin yelled. "How can you expect me to calm down after what he did to you? You need to come with me **right now**, Alex."

Alex shook her head. "No, Justin, I can't..." 

"What! Why not?" Justin asked in disbelief.

"I'm marrying him next week." Alex stated, not meeting his eyes.

"WHAT!" Justin shrieked, jumping up from the bed. "You can't marry the pervert that beats you up all the time!"

Alex looked straight at his eyes, and he saw pain and helplessness in them. "I have to. It's the only way."

"Only way for what?" Justin yelled again, his temper rising and getting the better of him, as he started pacing across the room.

"Only way to keep us all safe!" Alex yelled back, finally expressing the inner pain in her chest.

Justin stopped pacing, and turned around. "W-what..? What do you mean?"

Alex looked away as she began to cry again.

"Alex", Justin demanded, sitting down beside her again. "Tell me what you mean! Tell me! Damn it Alex!"

"He's going to turn us into the cops if I don't stay with him." She yelled, her words acting as a sudden slap on Justin's cheeks. "He said if he can't have me, then no one else will… and he… he'd complain about us for incest and-"

Justin gasped. Mike knew. Mike knew _all along_?

"-And then, you… you'd get into trouble because of me and…mom and dad would… be… so... upset", she blurted out between sobs. "And Max... and-"

"Alex!" Justin cut her off, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her harshly, as if to wake her up. "Listen to me, okay? He can do _nothing_ to us, believe me. We'll be fine. You need to come with me. I can't let you stay like _this_!"

"I can't, Justin, I can't!" She howled in helplessness. "I'd get all of us into trouble, and I… I shouldn't have called you today… but you know me, I'm Alex, I'm impulsive, I didn't think and now… Justin, I'm sorry!"

"Alex, please, come with me", Justin pleaded again.

"Oh my gosh. Justin, what if he gets mad at me for this?" she whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

"He won't." Justin replied firmly. "If our friendship meant anything to him, then he's not going to beat you up for this."

Alex nodded. "It does. He trusts you... he… doesn't trust me."

Justin sighed. "Please come with me Alex."

"I think you should leave before he gets back." Alex announced.

Justin sighed in defeat and got up. Any other brother would have taken his sister away at that moment, but he wasn't _any_ brother, and this wasn't any usual case. He felt like a wimp, a useless freak, a waste of life, as he couldn't do anything to help the woman who meant the world to him. 

"Tell him our friendship ends this moment." Justin growled angrily. "And if he values his life, he should never dare to call me up again."

Alex nodded, a tiny feeling of guilt lingering in the back of her mind. She just destroyed one of the best friendships Justin ever had.

"I'll keep the medicines in your drawer." He whispered. Alex nodded, looking away.

She closed her eyes when she heard the door-knob turn and knew he left. She sighed, trailing a hand across her plastered leg that she was barely able to move. Maybe they'd have to postpone the wedding, after all.

Alex sighed again. People married someone they loved, and someone who loved them back. She'd always wanted to marry a guy who would love her more than anything else in this world and take good care of her. The only problem was that he, bring her brother, was forbidden by law, society, and everything else. So she settled for the second best option, her loving boyfriend. Maybe he was a bit dominating and abusive, but she felt she deserved the pain- she felt it was her punishment for her sin. 

Besides, over the years, she had learnt to love Mike. He was nice, loving, caring, and affectionate at times, funny and teasing at others- and they had a lot of fun together. But at other times, when her phone would be engaged, or she would return home a little late from work, he'd get insecure. Yes, he was insecure, possessive- he loved her too much, and she couldn't blame him for all this…

They had just had an argument, and he had gone out, still mad at her. She had been crying when she went to get a glass of water from the kitchen and fell down.

She knew she could call Mike and tell him what happened, she knew he'd immediately come back, but for some reason, her hands paused when she reached the J in her contacts list, and she ended up dialing the forbidden number. He was still her protector, her place of shelter- **she was still his doll**. 

/////

"_My lips smile even in this pain,_

_Whenever I remember the times gone by…_

_Your habit of resting your head on my shoulder,_

_Or hiding in my chest._

_Coming to my shelter day and night,_

_You're antic of breaking down like fragile glass…"_

_-An approximate translation of "beetein lamhe" from 'The Train'_

_(I thought it fit them perfectly)_

(A/N: wow. I think I can find Hindi songs for every situation LOL. I hope you guys liked this chapter; I put a lot of effort into this! Please review. More reviews= faster update. I do update fast :D )


	14. Ch 13: Why do we keep saying goodbye?

**Important: I know most of you have problems with Alex putting up with Mike, but I have my reasons. They will be clear in this chapter.**

**Warning: **yeah, long again, around 2400 words

**Disclaimer:** don't own WOWP or the characters (except Mike) or the songs I have used in the beginning and end.

**Chapter 13: why do we keep saying goodbyes?**

"_I don't know, what he does to make you cry,_

_I'll be there to make you smile. _

_I don't have a fancy car, to get to you _

_I'd walk a thousand miles…._

_But my love is all I have to give,_

_Without you I don't think I can live,_

_I wish I could give the world to you,_

_But love is all I have to give_

_Without you I don't think I can live._

_I wish I could give the world to you!_

_But love is all I have to give…"_

_-All I have to give, Backstreet boys_

////

The thoughts and the images flashes in his mind for an entire month- an entire mouth during which Alex's stupidity made him groan in frustration and tug his hair in anger. Finally, he decided to call her up and reason with her.

"Please Alex, please come back, you're making a huge mistake." He pleaded as soon as she answered his call.

"Justin, I can't… you know I can't. The stakes are just too high…" she rejected again.

"I don't get it!" Justin said, rubbing his temples in complete frustration, "what the heck are you scared of? He can't prove anything! We have never had… umm…-your fears are totally irrational Alex! There's no reason or logic to justify what you are doing!"

"Yes there is!" she said slowly, sighing with frustration. "I know he can't prove anything now, but what happens after that? If I break up from him, I'd end up with you."

Justin stared blankly at the ceiling. "How does breaking up with him mean ending up with me?" he asked in confusion and annoyance.

"_Because_, when I break up with him I'll be all alone. I'd need someone, and I'd end up going to you." She reasoned.

Justin stared blankly at the ceiling again. From where did the girl get such logic? How did her brain work? Did she ever use her brain? Did she even _have_ a brain? Where did the scheming Alex Russo go?

"Alex", he breathed, his voice tiring because of exasperation, "you can get another boyfriend. You know, someone who actually loves you and wouldn't hurt you like this?"

"He doesn't hurt me all the time!" Alex protested. "He has done that just seven times in all these years."

"_Just_ seven times?" Justin asked in disbelief. "Seven is a sizeable number Alex. If he loved you, he wouldn't do it once…. I can never do it to you… "

He bit his lip, the three words failed to get out of it again.

She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "No one can ever love me like you Justin…" she whispered.

"Alex, please." He pleaded again.

"He's trying." She snapped, annoyed at their inability to say the 3 words with their own lips.

"You are not making _any_ sense!" he snapped back. "Why can't you just use magic to change him?"

"Justin, whenever I've used magic to do something like this, it always ended up badly." She pointed out.

"Well then, let me do it." He urged.

She shook her head. "No, Justin. That's not the right thing to do!"

"Since when do _you_ care about right and wrong?" He yelled.

"Since I grew up!" she yelled back.

"You haven't grown up! You're acting like a child, Alex! You are being so damn stupid and irrational!" he growled.

"Justin" she sighed again, "He's trying… I need to give him a chance. It took me forever to get over you… I've gotten used to Mike now. I can't get used to someone else!"

"Why can't you just be alone, like me?" He questioned.

"I am not you, Justin." She replied, the usual sarcasm missing from her voice, and lament present in its place. "I need someone to get over you…"

"You are not doing _any_ noble job!" he shouted desperately. "You are hurting yourself. You are being _ridiculous_. You are being _sickening_. You are insane, Alex!"

She hung up the phone. There was no thinking, no turning back. Grabbing her cell phone again, she dialed the number. "Mike, where are you? You do remember that you need to go to the psychiatrist today, right?"

"I prefer therapist." Mike reprimanded playfully. "Don't worry; I'm on my way."

"What! You won't pick me up?" she pouted.

"You can't go!" Mike protested immediately. "What did the doctor say, Alex? You need to give your leg some rest."

"But I'm bored." She complained.

"I'll bring home your favorite DVD, I promise." He assured.

"But I want to go out!" she whined.

"And pizza with pineapple toppings" he added, "Alex, you have to listen to the doctors. You can't even walk properly yet, you'd end up hurting your leg even more."

"Please." She tried again.

"Do you want me to tell the doctors or Justin that you're-" He paused mid-sentence, suddenly reminded about that he could no longer call up his friend and talk to him whenever he needed him.

"Drive safely." Alex whispered as she hung up the call. _Life was just so darn complicated! _

/////

The wedding happened three months later, when Alex could walk and run properly again. Justin had to attend it, to avoid arising suspicion in his parents' minds, and to try to talk some sense into Alex one last time.

His eyes stopped the moment he saw Alex, looking drop dead gorgeous in her wedding dress- the dress that should have been for him, but wasn't. Their eyes met and the world blurred out again.

"Hey" he greeted, smiling nervously, as he walked up to her, hoping she still wasn't mad at him for their phone-fight.

She smiled back and leant in closer to his ear. "Do you have your wand with you?" she whispered.

"Umm, yeah, why?" he asked in confusion.

"Good, I need you to change my shoes into sneakers." She whispered. "I can't walk around in these high heels!"

Justin chuckled slightly and took a step back, looking at her shoes. "Actually, I'd rather let them stay that way. It'd be so hilarious to see you trip during your wedding. Good thing I got my camera, huh?"

She glared at him. "Just wait till this is over. And I'll show you what's hilarious." She threatened.

"Sure, if we meet after that." He snapped, and finally, their happiness faded, the realism and seriousness of the situation dawning on them again.

"Alex, please come with me." Justin pleaded again.

"Ugh, no, not again!" She groaned and proceeded to walk away.

"Alex, wait." He called out, making her stop. "You can't just walk away like that! This is our goodbye!"

"Why do we have to keep saying goodbyes?" she questioned.

"I don't know…." He shrugged. "I guess life isn't done with us yet?"

"How many more times do we have to say goodbye?" she whispered exasperatedly.

"I wish I knew…" he sighed. "Alex, I-"

"Why is it so painful every time?" she asked again, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Alex." He said sternly. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." She said firmly, looking straight into his eyes.

"And what if I say I won't let you do this?" he challenged. "What if I say I won't let you make the biggest mistake of your life? What if I ask you to run away with me? What if I say I'd use magic to set you free?"

"You can't use magic on Mike!" Alex protested instantly. "He doesn't even know about magic! He wouldn't even know what happened. You can't do that to the poor guy!"

"_Poor guy_?" Justin asked in disbelief. "How can you say that about that **jerk**?"

"He's trying Justin!" she snapped, as she extended her bruise free arms up to him as proof. "See."

"What if he turns abusive again?" Justin challenged.

"He won't." Alex hissed sharply.

"I don't get it!" he yelled. "Why can't we just use magic on him?"

"For the same reason that we can't use magic to save lives, or kill people, or fight crime. We can't bend the law Justin…Using serious magic on mortals in forbidden." She stated, and she was being the mature, responsible one for the first time in their lives.

**("And the last time." He mutters. "Says the one who still takes baths, huh?" she mocks.)**

"Really?" he snarled back. "So now you choose to follow the law! And now you are fighting with _me_ to defend _him_?"

"Yes, I am." She said coldly, not meeting his gaze. "He's my to-be-husband."

"And what am I?" he demanded.

"You're my brother!" she almost yelled, her anger mounting with the argument going nowhere.

"Oh, so that's all that matters to you now?" he asked, grabbing her roughly by her shoulders. "After all we've been through, this is what you'll do to me?"

"Justin!" she hissed. "Let me go."

"Answer me Alex." He demanded. "What if I ask you to run away with me? Would you run away with me?"

**("I still can't believe I said that." Justin says. "I guess love does make you crazy."**

"**Hey, ****science**** makes you crazy!" Alex protests, supported by Max.)**

They glared at each other, gazing deeply into each other's eyes to see through the lies. Alex's eyes softened slowly, as she noticed the burning love in Justin's. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say yes-

"Oh, there you are, Alex!" They were broken out of their trance by Mrs. Finkle's voice, and he let go of her, breathing deeply in rage, backing away.

"Come on, your mom's looking for you." Harper said, pulling her by her arm and pointing at Mrs. Russo.

She looked at her mother, standing in the middle of some eight ladies, smiling, laughing and chatting, showing off her own wedding ring. She had never seen her mother so happy before… Her father was standing with Max, looking longingly at the wedding cake, smiling as well. Even from such a far distance, she could see their eyes glitter with happiness and pride- happiness and pride that depended on her answer to Justin's question.

She looked at Justin one last time, and gave him a small apologetic smile and a glare through her tear-filled eyes. "No", she said, shaking her head, before turning around and walking away.

She knew how life would be for them if they ran away. They'd have to keep running and hiding, and running, and hiding again. **Those things looked really easy in the movies. But it wasn't so easy in real life.****She wasn't a reckless, carefree teen anymore. She was a responsible woman. **She couldn't do this. The stakes were too high. She couldn't end her parents' happiness- they had always put her happiness before theirs, put up with everything she demanded and every mess she made…She was willing to risk her life for Justin, but not his life. She had already done enough damage to him, to her family- she couldn't do any more. 

She smiled to herself, trying to ease her pain, and tried to induce a faint sense of hope within herself with her own words from earlier times:

"_**If you love someone, set them free. If they love you, they'll come back." **_

////

He stood there, speechless, motionless, shattered by her rejection. This was something he had never expected. What was wrong with her? Why was she behaving this way?

"Hey" Mike whispered, standing beside him.

Justin shot him a look of disgust and hatred and turned around to walk away.

"No, Justin, please, wait." Mike pleaded, grabbing his hand.

Justin jerked his hand away from his grasp. "Don't dare to." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Let me explain myself, please." Mike pleaded again.

"You blackmail **my** Alex. You constantly beat her up. And now you're asking me to listen to you?" he muttered angrily.

"I wasn't thinking; I was insane." Mike explained, his voice regretful and pained. "I'm trying, Justin, I really am. I've been visiting the therapist and undergoing anger management. I don't want to hurt Alex… I really love her."

"No you don't." Justin snapped instantly. "You are just being a possessive, selfish freak. Love isn't selfish. Love is kind, forgiving, selfless…"

**("Ugh, Justin, just skip the cliché talk!" she scoffs. "Fine!" he snaps.) **

"…You don't love Alex. If you did, you wouldn't have blackmailed her like that."

"I…I'm sorry… I…" Mike sighed, looking at the ground. "All right, look, if you want to take her away, fine. I won't do anything to you." He whispered.

Justin stared at him in disbelief, eyebrows arched up skeptically.

"I… I am serious Justin." Mike assured. "I…I'm not a bad person… I just…. Love her too much…. She..." he sighed, taking in a deep breath. "She reminds me of Samantha, she...she" he gulped hard and blinked to hold back the tears, "she died when I was young and…. Alex… I… I don't want to lose her… I…." he sighed again, and finally looked at Justin. "If Alex is happy with you, fine…. Take her with you."

Justin bit his lip, torn between hatred and sympathy. Finally, he let out a hysteric laugh. "I can't… she won't come with me. And I don't even know why…."

"Justin-" Mike tried again.

"Now listen up, you better take good care of her." Justin threatened, grabbing him by the sleeve of his suit. "If I hear about _any_ wrong thing that you do to her, _no one_ will be worse than me." He added, his voice filled with determination.

Mike gulped and nodded.

Justin let go of him, fighting back the urge to punch him in the face for all the things he had done to his sister- revenge wasn't a Justin-thing, and he did not need a fight in public during his sister's _not-dream wedding_.

He looked at Alex one last time, seeing her smiling and talking to their parents, seeing her happy. "Tell them I have some urgent work to attend to." He muttered to Mike, before turning around and walking away.

His steps felt so heavy, so burdened. The distance seemed so great, so unending. He wished he could just run away, but his legs were too feeble. His heart was aching, but tears weren't forming in his eyes. He couldn't understand why she turned him down. Why didn't she want a life with him? The feeling of defeat sunk into his heart, as he closed his eyes and tried to comfort himself with a faint hope. Her words from many-a-years back echoed in his ears-

"_**If you love someone, set them free. If they love you, they'll come back." **_

/////

"_Smile for the camera,_

_Everybody's looking at ya,_

_Smile for the camera,_

_Cause they're all about to trash ya,_

_Smile for the camera, camera, camera,_

_Smile for the camera,_

_Who's gonna catch you?"_

_-Selena Gomez, Falling Down_

_(Thanks again to __**Baku Babe**__ for the song!)_

(A/N: I actually had to split up this original chapter into two chapters and add detailed scenes to explain what I was doing. I hope you get my reasons now. Criticism is still welcome, but keep in mind- this is FUTURE Alex, grown-up Alex, and people in situations like this don't really think or reason. Put yourself in her situation and see it from her perspective. And mike is not a bad person, like I keep telling, he's psychological, and Alex **is** working on that. So… Now let me know what you think. Review please! More reviews= faster update!)

**Important: my account settings are getting screwed up sometimes, so if you can't PM me, please don't take it personally**.


	15. Ch 14: I am giving it up too

**Important: My account setting is changing automatically (yeah, I am guessing virus), so if you can't PM me, please don't take it personally. **

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own WOWP or the song I have used in the beginning, but the poem at the end is all mine.

Chapter 14: I'll give it up too.

"_**Sometimes half a promise,**_

_**Sometimes more than that,**_

_**I wonder how I can show my loyalty to you.**_

_**This bond won't leave me, and I can't leave it either.**_

_**This bond can't be broken, and I can't break it either.**_

_**The thread of commitment is attached to you.**_

_**I am indebted to you.**_

_**Whatever I have achieved, it's because of you….**_

…_**I haven't got you, I haven't lost you either.**_

_**Even in your absence, it feels like you are present**_

_**Everywhere around me.**_

_**My days begin with you; my evenings start from you,**_

_**From you, just from you…**_

_**Every breathe I take is called life because of you."**_

_**-An approximate translation of 'Tum se hi' from Jab we met.**_

_**(My fav song and my fav movie EVER)**_

/

**2 years later**

His life was a puzzle for him from that day. He'd lost _his doll_; he hadn't even talked to her for two years. Yet for some reason, he felt her presence near him every single second. Maybe it was the strong bond of their hearts, the strong connection of their souls- _**the strong attraction of flesh and blood. **_

When he wanted to wear a red shirt with a yellow shorts for a morning walk, he could practically see her, standing in front of him, giving him a 'are-you-serious' look.

When he fell asleep with his head in his study desk and books open, he could practically feel her trail her hands through his hair, just like she did before his important exams (that and she took away his books, okay).

Whenever a romantic song played on the radio, he would think of her, and remember how she whined and complained about mushy things, yet smiled secretly when she thought no one was looking.

He would hear her yell. He would hear her stomp her feet.

She was haunting him like a ghost, and he wondered if he was already insane. He must have been. Why else would he fall for his baby sister?

/

The monotone of alarm clock woke him up. He got up quickly and walked off his bed. He didn't really care about sleep anymore, and most of the nights, it never came.

He brushed his teeth **("When your hair is grey and you can't even move your weak little limbs, you'd still be a hygiene-freak" she teases.)** He washed his face, and he dressed randomly (because there was no reason to look good).

It was a big day. The day of the wizard competition. Alex had already signed some documents and given up her powers to marry Mike, so she wasn't coming. It was him and Max. Well, Max didn't really stand a chance against him, but he didn't care. Not even magic mattered to him anymore. He was **leading** his life instead of **living** it, and silently waiting for the invitation to Hell to see her there again.

When he grabbed his wand to teleport, the memories of the Caribbean Wizard Competition came back again. Random flashes of the two days at the rain forest flickered in his mind. "_Please don't leave me here_" echoed through his ears and he closed his eyes in pain. He couldn't do this. He couldn't!

Suddenly he felt a soft hand brush his hand and experienced the familiar tingles. _Alex!_ He knew she wasn't there, he knew she wasn't real; he knew his imagination was acting crazy again, but he could see her there, standing beside him, smiling, wishing him Good luck.

_And that was all he needed_. He won. He became the family wizard.

**("If I took that competition I would have so taken you down- again." She still argues.**

"**Ooh, I wish we had a retest like Dad, Kelbo and Megan, and I could show you how wrong you are, just like you always are." He shoots back.) **

/

**2 more years later**

He had given up his dream of touring the world beating robots at chess, and settled at being a High School teacher. Life was a bit better for him, as he had settled for a routine mechanical life- waking up early every day, cooking breakfast and Tiffin for himself, cleaning the room **("Cleanness freak")**, ironing his clothes neatly, taking a bath **("Justin!"), **dressing up, eating, taking the subway and going to school **("instead of just using magic to poof to school")**, teaching **("while the students sleep"),** eating, talking to fellow teachers about science and robots **("geek"),** coming home, reading science magazines **("nerd"),** grading papers, watching the news **("and the new weather lady"),** receiving calls and politely turning down invitations for parties **("Dork"… "Alex. Stop.")**, cooking dinner, eating, preparing the bed, turning on the night light **("chicken." "ALEX!")** and going to bed. Sleep came sometimes, bringing in dreams, and in other times, thoughts consumed his nights.

He was grading some papers that day when he heard a knock at his door. "Coming!" he yelled, getting up and opening the door.

"Hey", Max greeted as he opened the door. "Umm… can I come in?"

"Yeah…sure…" Justin replied, stepping back awkwardly to let Max enter his apartment and closing the door behind him.

When he turned around, he noticed Max, sitting on his couch without even taking his permission (nothing unusual there), but his eyes downcast on the floor, and a strange hint of pain in them.

"Umm… so… what brings you here?" Justin asked in a soothing tone, as he sat down beside him.

Max sighed and looked at the open window, watching the leaves of the tree dance in tune with the wind. "Justin, remember when we were kids…whenever Alex and I were upset, you used to cheer us up… you used to tell us to go to you whenever we were feeling down, whenever we needed you… you said you'd always be there for us, remember?"

"Yeah", Justin chocked out as tears filled his eyes at the childhood memory.

"I'm feeling horrible now. I feel destroyed. And I feel like dying…" Max yelled, suddenly losing his temper.

"Whoa! Max! Don't say things like that!" Justin scolded, even as he ruffled his hair to calm him down. "What happened?"

"_What happened_?" Max laughed hysterically, shaking his head. "You would know if you cared to go home any more…"

"Max, I'm sorry." Justin apologized sincerely. "But you know things have been a bit off for me since… since…"

"-Since Alex married Mike." Max completed for him.

Justin sighed. "What's the problem Max? Is something wrong at home? Wait, is something wrong with Alex?"

Max shook his head again. "No… it's… it's me… I'm love with someone…"

Justin gasped. "The L-word?"

Max nodded. "Her name's Jane. I really love her… and she loves me too…"

Justin frowned. "Then what's the problem? Possessive parents?"

"No!" Max replied, shaking his head yet again. "She's a wizard and I…"

Finally Justin understood. "And you can't marry her because you're a mortal now…"

"Yeah." Max replied, leaning back against the back of the couch and burying his face in his hands. "I don't know what I should do Justin…"

"Well, I know what _**I**_should do…" Justin replied, standing up resolutely.

"Yeah?" Max asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"I'm going to give up my powers to you Max…" Justin announced, his tone conveying his determination.

Max gasped. "But Justin… you always wanted to be the family wizard… why will you give up your powers for me?"

"Because you're my little brother." Justin said, smiling brightly. "And because, I know how important love is…. Look Max, you don't need to feel guilty about this. I'm willingly giving up my powers to you. You didn't ask for it… if this was Alex, she would have probably demanded it from me until I gave it to her…" He chuckled slightly, remembering the days when Alex exerted full control over him.

Max laughed too as he ran up to hug his brother. "Justin… you are the best brother ever."

Justin hugged him back and closed his eyes forcefully to stop the tears from falling. He was actually the worst brother ever- he had fallen for his own little sister. 

/

_**Alex closed her eyes tightly, leaning against the window, and sighed. **_

_**(Flashback)**_

"_Justin…" Alex managed to say._

"_Shhh..." he whispered as he caressed her temples with his hand. "Take some rest."_

"_Am I sick?" she asked, feeling his cold hand on her warm forehead. _

_He nodded. "You have fever."_

"_Oh." She sighed. "Thanks for having my back." She smiled genuinely. _

"_Hey, it's no big deal, really." He smiled back. "You're my little doll. It's my responsibility. Whenever you get into trouble, I'm the one you'd come to, and I'd be the one who'd get you out of trouble." _

"_Promise?" she asked, her voice filled with the innocence only a five-year old girl like her can have._

"_Promise." He assured. __**"I'd always be there for you. You can always come to me."**_

_**(End flashback)**_

/

_**And now, that was exactly what she was going to do… **_

_I'd run into your arms where I belong…_

_I'd run into your arms that keep me strong._

_I'd run into your arms that hold me when I cry,_

_I'd run into your arms to which I had bid goodbye._

_I'd run into your arms that never let me fall,_

_I'd run into your arms that keep haunting me with its siren call…._

_-This one's mine, don't copy please!_

(A/N: Cliffhanger! Justin and Alex will finally get together in the next chapter! Plus, I have a surprise for you! Keep guessing, keep enjoying life, and keep reviewing! :D)

(2 important things- my results come out on May 26. yes, finally. So I may get caught up and not be able to update. And secondly, I finally have an idea for my next jalex chapter fic. I will start posting it in June, but I want to know if it'll work and if you are interested. I will post the prologue tomorrow, it'll be called "The world blurred". Please read it and let me know!)


	16. Ch 15: Crawling back to you

Warning: too intense, emotional. This is the most _T-ish thing_ I have ever written. Also, long chapter, around 2800 words.

Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the songs I have used at the beginning and end.

/

Chapter 15: Crawling back to you.

"_This distance… this distance can't be tolerated._

_I can't tolerate this silence anymore._

_Please let me hear your voice and give me peace._

_This distance… this distance can't be tolerated._

_I am incomplete without you._

_My story will remain incomplete._

_This distance… this distance can't be tolerated._

_I see you in every road now._

_I can't make this journey on my own anymore!"_

_-An approximate translation of "doorie" by Atif Aslam_

/

Justin returned home and sat down on the bed. He had just given up his magic to Max. He didn't regret his decision- he was glad he did what he did. He didn't really care about his magic anymore- he didn't really care about anything anymore, and he didn't need it either, he no longer had _someone_ that needed him to bail her out of trouble…

Justin sighed and closed his eyes. Giving up his magic caused just one problem- a strange sense of emptiness in his entire body. He remembered this feeling- he had briefly experienced it when he lost to _someone _at the Caribbean wizard competition. But this was a lot more than that, a lot worse. The wizard council did warn that the first few hours would be very painful. And he wondered if _someone _felt the same way when she gave up her powers…

The doorbell rang. He sighed and got up. He opened the door non-chalantly, and-

…someone jumped into his arms instantly, throwing her arms across his shoulders and crying.

He stumbled back a bit at this sudden unexpected happening and looked down at the woman in his arms. His breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat. He could recognize her anywhere. "A… Alex…!"

Alex pulled away from him, wiping her eyes, and putting on a fake smile, and motioned at her suitcases. **("Why do you always have to carry so much stuff?" he complains. "Mr. Strong finds a feather too heavy." She mocks.)**

He blinked for a few moments, trying to comprehend what was happening, trying to verify if this was real or yet another of his dreams.

She stood there, hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the floor in an impatient gesture, giving him the 'what-are-you-waiting-for' look.

He quickly recollected himself, put the suitcases in and closed the door. Looking at her eyes, he asked softly. "What are you doing here?"

Alex shrugged. "I left him."

Justin froze like a snow-covered mountain for a few seconds **("Justin! At least think of a better comparison!")**, trying to comprehend the shocking decision his sister had announced so non-chalantly.

"You were right. I shouldn't have married that pervert." She continued, seeing the lost and confused expression on his face, and resisted the urge to pull out her cell phone and take a picture, because okay, this was serious. "I've made a mistake, right, but I'm not just gonna sit there and cry. I am Alex. That's not what I do… I have a life and I'm gonna live it. I've had enough of him. I'm giving him a divorce." She announced, eyes glowing with resolution, and perhaps a bit of pain.

Justin felt the ground shake. What did she just say? He eyed her face for a moment, studying her eyes and the expression in them, then moved his gaze down, stopping at her growing belly. "You are….?" He gulped, choking on the words.

"Yes." She replied, smiling slightly as she caressed her stomach. "it's his. But I'm keeping it. It's mine now. _Only mine_."

"How long?" he managed to ask, in spite of his surprise.

"Six months." She announced taking a place in his couch. "I'm hungry."

Justin blinked at her again. His brain had stopped working by that time. All of this was just too shocking.

"I am hungry." She repeated.

"Oh…I… I'd get you some food." He said quickly, shaking his head, and then lifted her suitcase and glared at her. "You're not carrying anything heavy for the rest of the time."

"I know." Alex grinned. "That's why I'm here. It'd be _so much_ fun to make you work."

Justin shook his head in disbelief. Was she hurt **so badly** that she was using sarcasm to hide her pain?

He returned with some healthy food and announced. "I know you love junk food, but you're gonna eat healthy food during this time."

Alex didn't reply, instead she snatched the food from him. He was horrified when she started munching and swallowing it, as if she hadn't eaten anything for days. His hands formed into a fist and his knuckles turned white. "Didn't he even feed you?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"He did", she replied, her mouth still full of food. "I didn't want to eat it because I was mad at him. He did force me to eat for the first few days, after that, he just gave up. Who can make Alex Russo do something against her will?"

Justin stared at her incredulously. "Even in this condition you'd be this stubborn and childish? How can you be so selfish Alex? Can't you think about your child?"

"I did." Alex snapped. "That's the reason I am mad at him."

He finally looked at her properly. Her hair was a mess, eyes bulging with dark circles, her make-up smudged, and she was wearing _way too much_ make up. Guilt and fear clouded his mind.

"What happened?" he asked softly, once she finished eating her food.

Alex whined. "I don't want to talk about it." 

He would have been sympathetic about it if she didn't want to talk in order to suppress her pain, but he knew she was doing this to keep secrets from him. So he gave her a stern look. "If you want a divorce, you've gotta get your reasons straightened out first."

"Abusive relationship. Wife beating. Anything else?" she asked as she handed him the empty plate and placed her legs on the table, _just to annoy Justin like old times. _

"Yes." He replied calmly as he carefully placed her legs down. **("You'd think how could we be so casual in times like this? We weren't doing this consciously. It's our instinct… that's how we behave with each other" he explains.)** "There _is_ something more." He said firmly, eyes fixed on hers. "There's more to it than you're letting me in."

"You… you don't want to know about this one…" she whispered, breaking away from his piercing gaze.

"Yes. I do." He replied calmly.

"Fine." Alex sighed, accepting her defeat ("**Because he's Justin, and he would have bringing up this topic again and again unless he gets the answer**.") "He thinks." She replied as her voice cracked and tears brimmed her eyes. "He thinks the child isn't his… he thinks it's… it's… yours." She choked out, eyes downcast on the floor in guilt and shame.

Justin gasped. "What!" he shrieked. "How can he have such cheap thoughts? I have never even touched you! My love for you is way more than that…" he fumed, panting and taking in deep breaths. "Why did you continue to go out with him? Why did you choose to marry him? Why did you give up your magic for him? _Why did you give him your innocence_?" he growled, anger building inside him again.

"Because of you." Alex screamed at a high pitched-voice, and then burst into tears again. "I needed to get over you at any cost."

"What cost, Alex? Almost killing yourself?" he shouted, feeling extremely disappointed in her, and extremely furious with himself- he should have taken her back long ago. He stopped though, seeing the hurt in her eyes, and tried to recompose himself.

"I'm sorry." He managed to whisper, after a few silent minutes.

Alex shook her head. "It's not your fault. It was just him and his low thoughts. Besides, I'm the one responsible for all this. I'm the one who's screwed up."

"We are both screwed up." Justin corrected, as he pulled _his doll_ into his arms.

Alex jumped into his arms and finally broke down; just like she did the day he left for college. Justin closed his eyes- because the best feelings in life cannot be seen, they can only be felt with the heart, and by closing his eyes, this feeling increased. He could feel her heart beat against his chest, her chest heaving up and down slowly. He trailed his fingers through her hair slowly, untangling a few tangled locks, while his other hand rubbed her back soothingly.

_His doll_ was shattered, true, but it wasn't beyond repair, it wasn't something he couldn't fix. He had grown up fixing her messes, after all. As long as she was in his arms, nothing was impossible. 

"You need to stay here." Justin whispered, wiping her tears with his thumb, when they finally pulled apart. "You'd be safe with me…"

Alex nodded, walking towards the sink to put the used dish there, "I know, that's why I brought my stuff, duh."

"I'll call up mom and dad tomorrow." He whispered as he walked up to her. "Did he hurt you again?" he asked, anticipating her response.

Alex shook her head. "No… he had changed completely. We were happy… and then he found out about the baby and…" she sighed, turning around. "Whatever he ever did to me, I tolerated it. I didn't want to trouble you or the others… but what he is doing to my child- _his own child_- it's unforgivable... I don't want my child to grow up in an atmosphere of distrust, Justin. I don't care anymore. I don't care what happens, to us, to everyone else… I just want my child to be safe."

Justin nodded and pulled her into a hug. "Everyone will be safe Alex… nothing will happen to any of us, I promise." He closed his eyes and felt her in his arms again. It had been so long since he last held her. It felt like ages sometimes, and sometimes, it felt like just yesterday. He had given up all hopes; he didn't think he'd get her back. But he did… perhaps this was life's gift to him for being unselfish? A gift for giving up his magic to his brother? A gift for uniting two lovers caught in the strict rules of the Wizard Council? At that moment, with Alex in his arms, he felt magical again- he didn't need anything else. 

"How could he be so low?" Justin whispered, pulling her closer into him, his arms getting tighter possessively. "How could he do this to you?"

Alex shook her head. "What would you have done if you found out your wife was in love with her brother?"

Justin was stunned, he never considered it that way, but this thought didn't make any sense to him at all. "I would take her to a doctor because I feel she's sick. I would take her to a priest to repent for her sin. I would leave her if nothing else worked. But I'd never ever beat up a girl Alex. It's too wrong. You should never take that crap. You shouldn't have tolerated this."

Alex laughed hysterically. "You wouldn't do any of that. You're sick yourself. You are the one who commits sin."

Justin grunted at the truthfulness of her words. "We can talk about this later… Take your shirt off."

"What?" Alex asked, pulling back in surprise.

"Take it off." He commanded gently. "I need to make sure you're not lying. I need to make sure he didn't beat you up again."

Alex obeyed, taking off her shirt and revealing her bra, and turned around. Justin observed her back, trying not to stare too long at her exposed skin. He finally sighed in relief when he saw that there really were no bruises.

"Put your shirt on." He ordered again.

Alex turned around and looked at him, eyebrows quirked upwards questioningly.

Justin sighed and looked down in shame. "Please put it on before I lose myself. That'd be one bruise in your life that will never heal."

Alex walked up to him, taking _slow but sure_ _steps_, grabbed his face with her hands and forced him to look at her eyes. "I think I can take that pain."

"Alex…don't… please… it's not right… it's wrong... it's forbidden… it's sin… it's-"

"-Justin?" she cut him off.

"Yeah?" he asked nervously, gulping hard.

"SHUT UP!" she yelled before claiming his mouth with her lips, unleashing the _**repressed**_ _**wild**__**passion**_ of years. _**Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic and a bit like sin… he allowed his tongue to explore the depths of her mouth, enjoying the sounds she made with her parted lips, as his hands explored her back.**_

He wondered for a moment if the innocent child growing in her belly could feel the crime they were committing. His stomach churned at the thought and he felt sick (again). He pulled apart and looked away. "Go get some rest. We have a long day ahead."

Alex nodded and picked up her shirt.

"You take my bed…. I'll take the couch." Justin announced, walking away.

/

"Hija, what happened? What are you doing here?" Theresa asked, walking into her son's apartment and looking at her little girl. "Justin told me you have something important to say. What is it?"

Alex shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "I ran away from my husband?"

"What? Why?" jerry shrieked.

"Because he's…. he's… Justin!" Alex choked and turned towards Justin.

He knew he had to do the honors. "He's been beating up your precious little daughter for years. But now, she needs to take better care of herself and her unborn child."

"Child?" Theresa gasped.

Justin nodded. "She's pregnant."

Theresa looked at her daughter's growing belly.

"Six months." Justin filled in.

Their parents soon ran upto her and engulfed her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry honey", Theresa said softly. "How long has this been going on?"

"Ever since they started dating." Justin announced.

Theresa stared at him. "YOU KNEW?"

"No." Alex lied quickly. "I told him yesterday… Justin, I think we need to consult the lawyers." She declared, looking at her brother.

He nodded, grabbing his phone. "I'm on it."

/

Theresa, Jerry, Max, Justin and Alex sat around the lawyer and discussed the details with him.

"All right, I'd prepare the divorce papers soon and send it to you." The lawyer declared.

Alex nodded looking at Justin standing behind her. Justin patted her shoulder comfortingly silently letting her know that he was there.

"I think you need to stay with us." Theresa announced once the lawyer left, "You can't live alone in this condition. Someone needs to take care of you."

Alex smiled. "I'm not living alone, I'm staying with Justin." she declared with confidence. She knew the risks she was going to take, but after all these years of separation, she simply didn't care anymore. She cared about her child, and she knew they only place where it would be safe was in Justin's arm. "He can look after me. He's been doing that all his life." She added.

Theresa felt confused. Alex wanted to stay with Justin? She looked up at her son awkwardly, "Is it all right for you if your sister stays with you? It wouldn't be any trouble for you, right?"

He nodded, wrapping his arms protectively around his doll. "It's okay mom, I think she needs to stay with me… I'll protect her." He was well aware of the risk too, but he was willing to take his chances. How many times would life mess with them? Even destiny must have some mercy for them. People said that true love can force nature to bend its rules. If their love wasn't true, what was?

Justin smiled. This moment felt so surreal! Just when he gave up all hopes, she ran back into his arms. Holding her in his arms, he breathed in her scent and felt alive again.

Looking at her face and wiping the tears from her cheeks, he took a vow: he was going to protect her. He was going to make her happy from that moment. He was going to end all her painful memories. 

/

"_Make contact of your eyelashes with mine, like this._

_Adorn my eyelashes with all your tears…_

_You have always been by my side, every moment, every time._

_Yes, this body was sometimes far, sometimes near you._

_Whatever is your pain, give them my address…_

_I don't like this look of sorrow in your face._

_I don't find your relation with sorrow legal._

_Please listen to my prayer- throw it away from your face…"_

_-An approximate translation of 'Kuch is Tarah' by Atif Aslam_

(A/N: aren't the songs amazing? I love how deep the lyrics are …. Anyways, how was this chapter? Did you like it? Did I do justice to their reunion scene? Please review! More reviews= faster update. Next update depends on reviews, because really, I have physics homework to finish. :|)


	17. Ch 16: Smiling again

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the songs I have used at the beginning and end**

**Chapter 12: Smiling again **

"_How did I get you?_

_I can't believe my luck._

_You came down into the lake, just like the moon does,_

_Silently, slowly._

_Like the humming sun's rays, you passed in waves_

_After touching me in such a way!_

_Should I watch you, or should I hear you?_

_You're my relief, you're my passion,_

_Why didn't you come earlier?_

_-An approximate translation of "Kaise Mujhe" from "Ghajini."_

/

The sun looked bright and _happy_ again after many years, and he was smiling again watching the sun rise. A soft arm wrapped itself around his waist, and a familiar strawberry scent tickled his nose as a head rested on his shoulder.

"Good morning", she whispered sleepily, looking at the sky.

"Morning." He smiled. "You woke up this early? Are you feeling alright?" he asked gently as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with her free hand. "I'm fine, just feeling… peaceful. _Safe_."

He titled his head and looked at her. "You _are_ safe."

"I know." She smiled and pecked his lips softly. The pure rays of sunlight touched him at the same time that sin did. 

"I.. need to go to my job today." He announced, searching her eyes for any hint of fear and uncertainty. When he didn't see anything like that, he relaxed a bit. "Are you going to be alright on your own?"

She pulled away from him and took a hold of his hands. "Yeah…I guess."

"Remember, Alex, you are never on my own. I am never too far." He squeezed her hands reassuringly and smiled. "I'll go make us breakfast."

She nodded, moving to the balcony and standing near the railing, looking at the bright sky and thinking about her bright future ahead. Just 24 hours back, she wasn't sure what to do. She was feeling so lost, so confused, so alone… She had closed her eyes tightly, trying to think and find a way, and his image had flashed in her mind. He was still her protector, her shelter, her definition of 'safe'. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when he came back with a tool. "Sit down. You need to rest and relax as much as you can."

She smiled gratefully and nodded –too overwhelmed to speak- still looking at the bright sky and thinking about her bright present.

He looked at her face, and tears filled his eyes. She was smiling again. She was looking perfectly like a doll. This was the moment he wanted.

/

"Here, take a seat." He offered as he gently pulled out a chair for her in the breakfast table.

She laughed and sat down. "Justin, I can do that much for myself."

"I know." He smiled, "but you don't need to. Not while I'm around."

She chuckled. "I wish you had treated me like this during our teen days…. Maybe I wouldn't have made your life so miserable then."

He shook his head. "I _strongly_ disagree. You would have still pulled pranks on me relentlessly."

She shrugged and started eating her breakfast.

"I kept your lunch in the refrigerator. You just need to microwave it." He announced, as he took a sip from his coffee and a bite from his sandwich. "You do know how to operate a microwave, right?" he added, eyeing her suspiciously.

She glared at him. "I was ten." She snapped, remembering the incident when she 'accidentally' blew up their mother's microwave- and Justin had to fix it by using magic unsupervised.

He chuckled at the memory. When he was twelve, he was certain that Alex's name was in the Guineas Book of World Records for being the greatest troublemaker in the world. "You _finally _read the manual?" he asked cynically.

She shook her head disapprovingly. "Nah. It was too long."

He looked up at her and blinked. "It was _two pages_."

"That's what I said! It was too long!" she snapped again, "Harper taught me to use it."

He smiled and nodded. "You should talk to Harper sometimes. You'd feel better."

She shrugged and focused on her food again.

"My home phone is in the drawing room." He offered gently.

She shook her head again. "No. I think I want to be alone for some time."

He nodded in understanding and went back to watching his doll eat her food.

**("Staring is rude." She now says.) **

/

He called home every thirty minutes, to make sure she was all right.

"Justin, I'm fine." She assured every time, sounding grateful at his concern, no feeling of annoyance in her mind.

He came home early that evening, ringing the doorbell to his apartment and waiting, for the first time since he had bought the apartment. It felt good to have someone waiting for him at home, to know that someone cared.

She opened the door and smiled. "Oh, you are back soon… good."

"This is for you." He announced, handing her a bouquet of flowers.

"Umm, thanks Justin but… "She hesitated, taking the bouquet from him. "That's a bit lame, don't you think?"

He glared at her. "It's not lame… it's romantic."

"Yeah, if you live in the 15th century." She snapped. "Come on! You know I am not the kind of girl that likes getting flowers." She whined.

"And you know I am the kind of guy that likes to gift flowers." He shot back, pouting playfully.

She glared at him, before playing the bouquet on the table.

He sat down on the couch, untying his boots and taking off his socks.

She stood in front of him, loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, pulling him into a hug soon after she was done.

"Looks like someone missed me?" he teased, burying his face in her chest.

"You wish!" she shot back, ruffling his hair.

"Denial is not another river in Egypt, Alex."

She snorted. "You are such a hypocrite! You are the one who came home early… you are the one who missed me."

"I never said I didn't." he said, grinning, as he tightened his hold on her. "I missed you a lot."

She smiled, but remained silent, not trusting her voice. Life was being nice and kind to her again. This moment felt so surreal! She wasn't overly emotional all the time, but he had this power over her- this power to make her overly sentimental.

He finally pulled apart and looked up at her. "You alright?" he asked, feeling unsure when he saw the tears forming in her eyes.

She nodded and let the tears flow. "I'm just….Justin…I… You know I don't say this often, but… Thank you Justin."

He looked into her eyes, and saw gratitude reflected in them. "For what? For giving you shelter when you needed it most?"

She only nodded, looking down. "I am getting you into so much trouble… and you are still being so kind to me…"

"Alex, it's my duty." He whispered, as he gently lifted up her chin with hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. "_I love you_."

His mind was filled up a strange sense of relief, as he finally admitted the three words that he had been holding back for years. 

She only nodded, still unable to say the words back. She was too vulnerable- the words would have come out jumbled and meaningless. She needed a better moment to admit her feelings, even though he already knew everything. This was Justin, after all. He knew how she felt- saying wasn't necessary. 

He smiled sadly and pulled her into him again. "I'll protect you. Always. No matter what." He promised. His voice shook as he pictured the entire world, the entire society, ripping his doll away from his arms because of just one dreadful reason.

She tried to laugh through her tears. "Dork."

/

"Surprise." He smiled as he opened the door.

"Pizza?" she smiled, placing her legs on his coffee table.

He paid the bill, closed the door and returned. "I thought I'd treat my princess with something special tonight."

She whined at the word 'princess', but at least it was better than 'sister', so, okay. "And pizza is your definition of something special?" she asked, raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah?" he asked, feeling confused about what she wanted. "I gave you your ridiculous pineapple toppings…Don't you like it?"

She nodded reassuringly, taking a bite of a slice. "Yeah I do, it's tasty."

"I brought coke." He said, holding up the bottle, grinning like a goofball.

She snorted but smiled. "Only you'd drink coke when you're legally old enough to drink alcohol."

"Those are not healthy." He protested. "Don't even think about it." He added, just to make sure she didn't get that sneaky idea.

She raised her hand into the air. "I know, your highness, no drinking in the kingdom of Prince Geeky-Dork Senior."

He smiled, noticing how the words 'princess' and 'prince' fit in perfectly. It's funny how life was that ironic.

"Turn on the TV." She ordered, taking a bite of his slice.

He nodded, standing up and walking towards the TV to grab the remote. He watched from the corner of his eye when she stole a sip from his glass and a bite from his glass, but didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled. She was being Alex again. And for once in his life, he was dying to deal with her sneaky and devious ideas again. 

He returned and turned on the TV.

She reached for the remote immediately and he held it up in the air where her hands couldn't reach.

"Justin!" she yelled.

"_Alex_!" he mimicked.

She crossed her arms. "Fine. Watch whatever the heck you want."

He switched the channel and settled on the familiar cat and mouse chase.

Alex gasped. "_Please_ don't tell me you still watch _that_." she asked in disbelief, pointing her finger at the screen distastefully.

He shrugged and looked at her, smiling. "Get used to it. This is what your kid will be watching for the first few years."

She widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh my gosh, you're already planning to make my child boring."

He chuckled and focused on the screen in front of him again.

She rested her head on his shoulder, pouting, whining and complaining, like she did when they were kids. 

"So…" Alex yawned, looking at the clock. "I think I should go to sleep now."

He nodded, turning down the volume of the TV.

"Aren't you tired?" She asked, getting up and studying his face carefully.

He shrugged, grabbing the cushion and lying down on the couch.

She stared at him in disbelief. "I don't get the point! Why do you need to sleep here?" 

He just sent a pointed look in her direction.

She sighed. "Look Justin, you know you can-"

"-No, Alex." He cut her off. "I can't."

She walked back to the couch and sat back down. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly.

"If you don't take the bed, then I won't either." She announced, crossing her arms in front of her. "I am sleeping with you."

He glared at her. "Will it hurt you to stop being so stubborn?"

"Yes." She shot back, sticking out her tongue at him. **("Way to be mature, Alex." He teases.)**

He sighed, turning off the TV. He shook his head sadly and got up from the couch.

"Gosh, I am just asking you to share the bed with me… stop being so overly dramatic and all!" she snapped, getting up as well and walking to the room.

"I am turning the night lamp on!" he yelled behind his shoulder.

When he heard a crash from the room, he didn't even have to go there to know what broke…

.. He held her in his arms that night, just like he did when they were kids. Even in a relation like this, the innocence was still left. "It's all right." He whispered in her ear, every time she shuddered because of some horrible dream. "You are safe with me…"

/

**two days later**

The doorbell rang, and Alex opened the door, to find a man in his mid-fifties standing in front of the door, his eyebrows creased together in annoyance.

"Yes?" Alex asked impatiently.

The man studied her curiously for a minute, before finally speaking. "I came here to ask you to turn the music down."

"Oh." Alex muttered, shrugging. "Okay. Fine. Have a nice day." She stepped back to close the door, but the man stopped her. She raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

"This apartment belongs to Justin Russo." The man said, observing her face again, and then her growing belly.

"I know, duh?" Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Who are you?" The man asked her.

Alex stared at the man. Like, _he_ came to _her_ place and was asking her who _she_ was? Really?

She studied the weird man, before finally speaking. "I am-"

"-ALEX!" Justin yelled, running up the stairs quickly, glaring at her. "What did you do this time?" he demanded, frowning, before turning to the old man. "I am **so, so,** sorry Mr. Smith… I will pay you for whatever she broke." He said sadly, taking out his wallet from his back pocket.

"What! Just because I am talking to someone you know doesn't automatically mean I broke something!" Alex protested, crossing her arms in front of her.

Justin ignored her and looked at Mr. Smith.

Mr. Smith laughed. "Don't worry, she didn't break anything…. Alex, huh? Your sister?"

Justin nodded, glaring at her. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" Alex snapped, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Alex." Justin warned, his voice low.

"Don't worry Justin, it's okay." Mr. Smith assured, interrupting their glare contest. "I understand. I have sisters too… in fact, I have three sisters, so you can imagine what life is like for me…"

"Three sisters?" Justin gasped, eyes wide. "How did you manage to stay alive for so long?"

Alex glared at him. "If you are as smart as you say you are, then you should shut up before I cut you into teeny-tiny pieces."

Mr. Smith laughed again. "You two remind me of me and m younger sister…. So, Alex, glad to see you are visiting your brother… how long will you be staying?"

Justin gulped hard. Reality was crashing on him again. He could pretend and lie and act like everything was all right, but panic was always residing deep down in his heart.

"Um…I will be… living here." Alex said slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on Mr. Smith's to notice any chance of expression, any hint of suspicion in them.

"Oh…" Mr. Smith said, studying her belly again, and then looked back at her again sadly. "Divorce?"

Alex nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry Alex." Mr. smith said sympathetically. "You are really lucky to have a brother like Justin… I live downstairs. Feel free to come to me if you ever need anything."

Alex nodded, offering him a small smile. "Thanks."

Mr. Smith patted Justin on his back, before climbing down the stairs.

The moment his shadow disappeared, Alex grabbed Justin's arm, pulling him inside his-_their_ apartment, closing the door behind them, and running into his arms instantly.

"What if they keep asking questions?" Alex whispered against his chest, her voice tiny. "What if they get suspicious, Justin? What if they find out?" she demanded, fisting the corner of his shirt tightly.

"They won't!" Justin snapped, wrapping his arms around her securely. "They won't, okay? We will keep acting normally. No one will ever find out…"

"How do you know it'll work?" Alex asked softly, her voice cracking. "How do you know we will succeed?"

Justin pulled away from her, and looked down at her face, into her eyes. "Because, it's you and I. How can we not?"

Alex looked up at him, and smiled. "No Justin, there's no you and I anymore…. It's _**us**_ now. It's always been us, huh?"

Justin smiled back at her, ignoring the tears welding at the corner of his eyes. "And it always will be…." He promised, as he captured her lips in his. _**Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin… and he didn't care about anything else anymore. **_

"_Never gonna be alone, form this moment on._

_If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall._

_When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on._

_We are gonna see the world out, I'll hold you till the hurt is gone._

_I am gonna be there always,_

_I won't miss a word all day."_

_-Never gonna be alone, Nickelback_

(A/N: Hope you liked this. **Please review**! I will be visiting my grandparents for a while, but I can update on Thursday if I get enough reviews.)


	18. Ch 17: Blinding

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the characters or the songs at the beginning and end of the chapter. **

**Warning: Long chapter. Around 3770 words. A lot of intense emotions, and a lot happens here. I mean it- a lot happens here. **

**Chapter 17: Blinding**

"_There must be a world where you're with me,_

_Where I'm there, you're there, and is our emotions._

_Where mornings begin in the rays of your eyelashes._

_Where the moon sings lullaby when I sleep in your arms._

_I don't know where that world is, I don't even know if it exists,_

_A world where my life isn't so cruel to me."_

_- An approximate translation of 'jaane na kahaan woh duniya hain' _

_from 'jaane tu ya jaane na'_

* * *

A few days passed peacefully, love and affection glowing in their lives, and then finally the lawyer called them up. They visited his chamber together one Friday.

She glanced at Justin, fear evident in her eyes, when the lawyer looked at them with a stern and apologetic expression.

He patted her shoulder again and looked back at the lawyer. "So.. is everything all right?"

The lawyer shook his head and sighed. After a small pause, he began. "Mike is ready to give her divorce."

Justin and Alex sighed in relief.

"But he wants the custody of the child." The lawyer added.

The celebration in their minds ended immediately, and she straightened up, a sense of insecurity overwhelming her. "He wants to take my child away from me?"

The lawyer nodded sadly, as Justin pulled her into a hug.

"Yeah, but, you can help me right?" she asked hopefully.

The lawyer sighed again. "Here comes the bad news. He has filed a case against you two for…umm… er….incest."

Justin gasped and immediately released his hold on her. What did he just hear? "I'm sorry, but, what did you just say?" he asked in utter disbelief. This couldn't be true! He wasn't worried about the facts that his parents could disinherit him, he could lose his magic powers, and he could end up in jail for many years. The one thing horrified him was this: Alex and her child were in danger.

The lawyer nodded at Justin.

"W-what… we…" Alex stuttered, looking at Justin with shock, fear and distress in her eyes. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! But then again, when had their lives gone the way they wanted it to?

"He can't prove anything!" Justin snapped, his voice panicky.

Alex looked at the lawyer. "What he means is, there's nothing to be proved." She corrected quickly.

**("Good thing lying is in my blood, huh?" She says smugly. **

**He glares at her. "You are being a horrible role model to your child!" **

**She rolls her eyes. "Gosh Justin, she's not a kid anymore!") **

The lawyer nodded. "Just be careful that you don't walk straight into his trap, okay?"

Justin and Alex nodded, then looked at each other and gulped hard. Couldn't life let them be happy for once?

* * *

She rushed into apartment as soon as he held the door open for her, and sank down on his couch.

"You all right?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her as she sobbed in the couch in his apartment. **("Ahem", she clears her throat. "****Our**** apartment.")**

"Why is this happening to us?" she screamed in a frustrated tone.

He frowned. "I don't know… it's…" he trailed off, unable to find any words. Honestly, he had no idea why this was happening to them. What had they done to deserve so much pain? They never murdered anyone, never committed robbery, or anything else that is considered wrong. The only forbidden thing they had done was to fall in love with each other. But how could love ever be wrong? Why would they suffer for something so true, so real?

She sighed. "Maybe it's better if I move to some other place…. I mean, I am happy here and all that, but… if I stay here, people might start to get suspicious…"

He shook his head violently. "No. That is _exactly_ what he wants, you need to stay here. You'll be safe with me."

"But Justin-"

"Listen to me Alex", he pleaded as he titled his head and touched their foreheads together softly. "Do you trust me?"

She looked at his eyes. Those were the same eyes- the same eyes that glared at her when she made a wish with the genie and made everyone forget him, the same eyes that twinkled mischievously whenever he pulled pranks on her, the same eyes that looked at her sympathetically that night in front of the campfire… that fiery glaze was still in those eyes, those promises were still glowing in his eyes; those were the same eyes she had grown up gazing in, the eyes that meant comfort and protection to her, the eyes that she had fallen in love with…Those eyes could never lie to her. Why wouldn't she trust him? She nodded slowly. "Yes, Justin, I trust you…"

"Then trust me Alex", he pleaded again, getting up and standing in front of her, offering her his hand. "Everything's gonna be all right…"

She jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

He closed his eyes tightly and sobbed as he held his doll in his arms. Why was this happening to them? Couldn't life spare them? It was then that he remembered an old saying, something that he vaguely recalled being mentioned to him by Zeke. True love will always be tested. You know it's true when you have gone through a lot of trouble- and survived those. If you can dive through oceans together without getting drowned, if you can walk over fire without getting burned, you would know this is true love… he had dismissed this thought, because, come on, this sounds ridiculous! But at that moment, he understood what those words meant. They would have to hide and act natural amidst a vast ocean of people- wasn't that as impossible as diving into an ocean without drowning? They would have to live with the fear of suffering from the fire of people's wrath if they ever found out- isn't that as impractical as walking over fire without getting burnt**? No. In love, nothing is impossible, nothing is impractical. And at that moment, Justin understood a whole new meaning of true love. **

"Everything will be fine Alex…" he assured again. "Look on the bright side. After this divorce, you will be free from him forever."

She nodded, pulling away, and wiping away his tears with the pad of her thumb. "Shhh…"

He closed his eyes, letting a few more tears flow. Her touch was enough to make him vulnerable. Maybe they were being paranoid about this whole thing? Maybe their fears were unreasonable? But in a situation like theirs, they could never be too sure.

Finally, he turned around and sighed, wiping his remaining tears. "It's been a long day... you need to rest now…. I'll go prepare the bed."

"No, Justin, wait…!" Alex called out, grabbing his arm and turning him around to face her again. "In case, you know… something happens to us, I… I just want you to know that… I… I love you too…" she whispered, closing her eyes.

He smiled, "Umm... I love you too…too?"

She snorted through her tears. "Dork."

**("Why were you guys so scared?" her daughter asks them. "He didn't have any proof. I don't see any logic in your fear!"**

"**Fears are mostly irrational****, sweetie" Justin says.) **

* * *

Mike opened the door, his eyes droopy, his hair messy, and his face full of unshaven beard. "Yes, what do you-?" He paused, noticing the person standing in front of him.

"We need to talk." Justin said sternly.

"What's left to talk about?" Mike snapped, preparing to close the door.

Justin stepped up in front and stopped him. "What you are doing is not right."

Mike chuckled darkly. "You are the one to talk about right and wrong, huh?"

Justin ignored his comment. "Why can't you leave us alone? What do you want?" he growled.

Mike chuckled again. "Looks like someone grew a backbone, huh?"

Justin glared at him. "Just because I tolerated your crap for so many years doesn't make me weak… the only reason I couldn't protect Alex was because she didn't want to be protected… but now that she's in my shelter, and she has a life growing inside her…you can do _nothing_ to them. _Understand_?"

Mike laughed hysterically. "You are in no position to threaten me right now…. I thought you had come here to beg me for mercy."

Justin glared daggers at him, gritting his teeth. How did Mike become such a monster? "I don't think you have any mercy Mike… you surely don't show it… I should have known it's a waste of time talking to you…I will meet you in the court then." He scowled, turning on his heels and walking away.

* * *

The court case began. The results were clean: nothing could be proved, they were safe.

The judge saw a crying woman, abused by her husband. He saw two ageing parents, fear evident in their faces, trying to stay strong for their daughter, and over-exerting themselves, probably increasing their heart ailments. He saw a weird and annoying younger brother, trying to stick up for his sister but miserably failing to find the perfect words, while his girlfriend stood by his side.

And he saw an older brother, looking after his sister, forcing food and medicines down her throat in proper hours, and supplying water every few minutes, gently patting her shoulder and pulling her into a comforting hug now and then.

The court order was predictable, the verdict passed in Alex's favor. She got the divorce and the custody of her impending child. The judge personally appreciated her brother for taking care of her in these times of need, and suggested her to stay with him as long as she needed.

Theresa ran up to hug her eldest children, wiped a few tears and smiled. "I told you so." She laughed. "Truth always wins in the end. You didn't do anything wrong. Why would you suffer?"

There was silence, as words like crime, sin, sick, weird echoed in their ears. They knew they did something wrong, something terribly wrong: they had indeed fallen in love with each other. The guilt was haunting them and making their stomach churn, and the fact that their parents believed them made it worse to the power infinity. But **when they looked at each other's eyes, even a thousand lies seemed bearable. Living with a lie gave him stress-related symptoms, but living with her made him stress free as well. **

* * *

"So?" he asked, holding door to his apartment open for her.

**("Justin!" she yells angrily.**

"**Oh, sorry…" he recollects himself quickly. "Our apartment.")**

"So?" she asked, smiling, as she entered the apartment and sat on his couch.

"Now that the case is over, maybe we should go shopping for some stuff for the baby. Not much time is left." He suggested.

She nodded. "We'll go tomorrow. I'm too tired now." She yawned, glancing at the wall clock.

He smiled and sat down beside her awkwardly. "Umm, you alright?"

"Yeah", she smiled back, "everything's better now. Everything will be fine, right?"

His knees grew weak at the fear and anxiety in her voice, reflecting the fear and anxiety dwelling in their uncertain future. "Yeah, everything will be fine." He reassured her, and tried to reassure himself as well, but failed.

He wrapped her into a hug, letting her cry in his arms, as he pictured a beautiful world, a world where they could be free, a world where they could be happy, a world where they wouldn't have to lie and hide…..

"Justin?" she asked, pulling away slightly to look into his gray orbs.

"Yeah?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"You'll never leave me right?" she pleaded in a helpless voice.

"Alex, I told you before, and I'm telling you again. I'd **never** leave you." He promised, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "You're everything for me…. You are the only thing that matters."

And at that vulnerable moment, she leant in to capture his lips. _**Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic and a bit like sin... **_

**("What about me? Don't I matter to you?" her daughter asks him. **

"**You weren't born then." Justin points out.**

"**Well, can you just skip to the part of the story after I am born?" she whines. **

"**This is our love story, you don't feature in that!" Alex snaps, rolling her eyes.**

"**Yes, I do!" her daughter snaps back, glaring at her. "Daddy?" she pouts, turning to Justin.**

"**Fine!" Justin sighs. "Let's skip to that part then..."**

"**No wait!" her daughter interrupts again. "What happened to Mike? You guys never told me that!"**

**Alex looks at Justin. He nods.**

"**Mike committed suicide… apparently, he turned mad or something." Alex explains with a shrug. **

"**Okay, so, no more Mike?" her daughter asks her hopefully.**

"**Nope." Alex replied, smiling. "Just Mr. Dork and his lame old stories that he has told a hundred times before…."**

"**Alex…" he warns.**

"**Justin." she mimics. **

"**Not again!" Max mutters. "Umm, guys, story?"**

"**Right." Justin recollects himself. "Where was I? Oh, okay… Max's wedding comes next."**

**Max groans. "You are so embarrassing.")**

* * *

The next time they met their parents was at Max's wedding.

"Wow Alex… you are huge." Jane gasped, looking at her belly.

"Umm, yeah… I'm due in a month." Alex replied, smiling. "Oh, right, congratulations on your wedding. May you have a happy life ahead. Blah blah blah. Important thing, don't let Max do any teleporting spells. Trust me, he will mess them up. And he also has a habit of holding his wand backwards."

Jane chuckled. "Don't worry… I mess up spells too… Actually, Max is pretty good at magic now. When I mess up, he fixes everything for me…"

"Oh, I get it." Alex said, smiling cheerfully. "Kind of like how Justin used to fix my messes…" She paused, her eyes growing wide, as she suddenly realized what she had just said. "I mean…."

"-It's okay." Jane cut her off, smiling softly. "I know…"

"W-what?" Alex stuttered, and gulped. "How?"

"Justin told me." Jane said softly.

**("And you couldn't trust your own brother, huh?" Max says in mock hurt.**

"**Oh hey Max, I'm in love with our sister." Justin shoots back sarcastically.)**

Alex stood there, frozen.

Jane took her hand in her own, and squeezed it reassuringly. "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me…"

Alex smiled gratefully at her, tears in her eyes. "Thanks Jane…"

Jane nodded, before walking away.

Justin and Alex stood side by side, watching the wedding.

"Max is one lucky guy." Alex said, smiling.

"So am I…" Justin whispered, keeping his eyes fixed on Alex's face. With Alex by his side, he felt like the king of the world. 

* * *

Alex sat on the bed, Justin's laptop in her lap.

"Wow, she looks amazing here…" she said, looking at the wedding photos of Harper. "And she isn't wearing one of her ridiculous costumes… wow…"

Justin chuckled and nodded. "Hey, so does Zeke."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Yeah, at least he isn't wearing one of your alien language league junk shirts." She scoffed, clicking on the next picture.

"I really wish I had my camera when I went to their wedding." Justin muttered, looking at the screen. "Good thing Zeke mailed them to me, huh"

Alex nodded. "So… umm, why are we seeing these photos again?"

Justin sighed. "I mailed Zeke about your child… They are going to come over and see you…"

"What!" Alex shrieked. "You did that without even asking me?"

Justin gulped. "Alex, you really need to catch up with Harper… you will feel a lot better, trust me…"

"And what about us, Justin?" She asked, looking at him fiercely. "How do we tell her about us? You know I can't keep another secret from Harper… my wizard secret nearly tore us apart!"

"Well, you can't tell her!" He snapped. "This isn't a simple and innocent secret like that… they will never understand!"

"How do you know if you don't tell them?" She yelled. "Maybe they will understand."

"Maybe they won't!" he yelled back. "Do you really want to take that chance?"

She was stunned into silence- did she really want to take such a great risk? "No…" she muttered softly.

He sighed, kneeling down beside her. "Alex, just act normal, okay?"

"I am tired of acting." She said, sighing.

"We will have to act the rest of our lives.." he pointed out. "Don't say that Alex, you are a brave girl. Don't tell me you're giving up!"

"I'm not giving up." She said quickly. "I can never give up on us, I mean, I love you and all, but… I just wish we didn't have to lie all the time; I wish that things were different.."

"Well they aren't, are they?" he asked softly. "What's the use of living in what-ifs? Those will never come true… we have to stick to our reality… "

Alex nodded. "Umm, I'm s-so-Sor- oh, you know what I mean!" she scoffed in frustration.

Justin chuckled. "Yupe, we can definitely act normal."

* * *

"ALEX! OH MY GOSH!" Harper squealed, jumping into Alex's arms as soon as Justin opened the door.

"Whoa! Careful there, Harper." Zeke scolded.

"Sorry!" Harper pulled back, grinning excitedly, and speaking in one breath. "Oh my gosh, you have changed so much! You are so huge… I wonder if the panda bear dress I made for you will fit you or not…"

Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "I hope they don't." she muttered under her breath. "So, hey, Harper, wassup?"

Harper shrugged and smiled. "You tell me what's up… you must be pretty excited now!"

"I am." Alex nodded, smiling. "But I am somewhat scared too.."

"Oh, don't worry, everything will be fine." Harper assured, connecting her arm with her friends as she gently pulled her inside the house. "Come on, let's go!"

With the women gone, Justin and Zeke turned to each other and man-hugged. "I missed you bro!"

"I missed you too!"

"Ob bla tang?"

"Zing bla blada-bada!"

* * *

Justin jumped up in fear as he felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

The figure standing in the darkness of the kitchen laughed.

"Alex!" he yelled. "This is not funny! Stop scaring me!"

"And you stop screaming!" she hissed, covering his mouth with her hands. "You will wake up Zeke and Harper!"

Justin glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hungry… That's kind of why people go to their kitchens at midnight, Justin." She replied sarcastically, a smirk on her face.

"And why are your hands cold? Are you sick or something?" he demanded.

She shrugged.

"You need something?" he asked gently.

"Yupe." She replied, as she leant up on her tiptoes and leant in closer to his face.

"Alex!" he hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Are you new to this?" she asked sarcastically. "I am kissing you, Justin?"

"Someone can walk in!" he hissed again.

"Oh come on, they are all sleeping!" she snapped.

"But Alex, you know we-"

"-Justin?" she cut him off, whining impatiently.

"Yeah?" he asked tentatively.

"Just shut up!" she hissed as she captured his lips in between her teeth. _**Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic and a bit like sin, as their eyes drifted shut... **_

Their eyes opened to the light being flicked on and the sound of a gasp. They pulled apart swiftly, glancing at the frozen person standing near the door.

"Umm, Harper.." Alex began while fixing her clothes.

"How could you?" Harper screamed, as Zeke stood beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.

Alex cringed. "Umm, look Harper, I know you used to have a crush on Justin, but that was a long time back and-"

"No." Harper cut her off.

"What no?" Alex asked, stepping backwards. She had never seen her best friend this angry before.

"I wasn't talking to you." Harper said sternly, before fixing Justin under her deadly gaze. "I was talking to Mr. Perfect. The one I looked up to ever since I was a kid. The one who always did what was right… how could _you _do this Justin? How could you violate your own little sister?"

Justin's head hung down in shame, and Zeke stood in stunned silence.

"He isn't violating me." Alex snarled back. "I love him.."

Harper laughed darkly. "Oh Alex, this is the worst thing you have done in your life…"

Alex cringed again. "Harper, you need to calm down… I have never seen you act _anything_ like this! Maybe after we-"

"Zeke." Harper cut her off. "I think we should leave."

"What! No! You guys can't leave.." Alex protested instantly.

"I'll pack our stuff…" Zeke said softly, going to the storage room that was turned into their guest room.

"It's midnight." Alex pointed out.

"You are my best friend Alex. And I respect Justin for a lot of things…" Harper said sadly. "Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone… but, I am never speaking to you again. I can't believe you are doing this! Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Russo were right, I am the one who will be taking care of them in the old age… I can't believe you are doing this to your own parents! Take a while and think about this!"

"We have thought about it." Justin snapped in exasperation. "There's nothing we can do! We can't help it!"

Zeke returned, bringing Harper's coat with him and they proceeded to leave the apartment.

"Harper", Alex sobbed. "No please, you've got to understand me…"

"Bye Alex." Harper said, before walking out of the door.

"Zeke?" Justin asked tentatively.

"I will miss you" Zeke said softly, before walking out as well.

The door closed with a thud, and they jerked back, broken out of their trance.

"Justin!" she sobbed, running into his arms.

"Shhh…" he whispered. "It's okay…"

And that was how they lost two important persons of their lives, how their loved ones walked out on them for the first time, how they were left alone, only by themselves, surrounded by pain, guilt, shame and love. 

The one who said that **'love is blind'** was really wise. Their love was blinding. It was worth risking everything. 

And life is weird, isn't it? Jane, a girl who knew them for barely a year, understood. Their best friends didn't.

"_They don't know  
They can't see  
Who we are  
Fear is the enemy  
Hold on tight  
Hold on to me  
'Cause tonight_  
_It's all about us (all about us)  
It's all about  
All about us (all about us)  
We'll run away if we must  
'Cause ya know (ah ah)  
It's all about us (all about us)"  
-It's all about us, Tatu_

_(Thanks to Baku Babe for this song)_

_

* * *

_(A/N: there you go. No more Mike. Happy now? :P I hope you liked this chapter. I put in a lot of effort on this, and sacrificed my afternoon nap :| Please review, it makes my day! I am actually going to hold up for reviews again, because life has just been too busy lately with study pressure, and I have to go through a lot of trouble to write this instead of doing my homework…. so yeah, review for faster update. When I see your lovely reviews, I get inspired to go through all the trouble :) I love you guys!)


	19. Ch 18: A future dawns, A past fades

**Warning: the end of this chapter is quite suggestive. So kids, don't read it. **

Chapter 14: A future dawns, a past fades

"_I shouldn't love you but I want to  
I just can't turn away.  
I shouldn't see you but I can't move  
I can't look away.  
And I don't know how to be fine when I'm not  
Cause i don't know how to make the feelings stop."_

_Just So You Know, by Jesse McCartney.  
(Thanks to my jalex/dalena buddies __**jalex232 **__recommending the song and sending me the lyrics, and __**Baku Babe**__ for recommending this song too!)_

* * *

"Oh, hey Harper…" Theresa muttered, opening the door.

"Hey, Mrs. Russo." Harper smiled, trying her best to play normal. "Zeke and I are here on vacation… We thought we'd see you… I know I should have called first, I am really sorry if I caused any problem. We can just-"

"Harper" Theresa cut her off. "It's okay, honey. You know you are welcome here."

"That's good, because I don't want to cause you any more trouble than I already did." Harper said in an unusually serious tone.

"Harper, honey", Theresa said softly, putting an arm around Harper's shoulder to comfort her. "It was no trouble at all. We told you before, you are our second daughter. We are so glad you lived with us so long."

Harper smiled softly.

"So, did you visit Justin and Alex yet?" Theresa asked.

Zeke nodded. "Yeah."

"Can you believe Alex is going to have her own child?" Theresa said excitedly, as she led them inside the apartment. "It felt so weird to email that to you two months back… Just yesterday she was failing math!"

Harper looked at Zeke sadly. "Look how happy Mrs. Russo is… how could they do this to her?" She whispered to him.

Zeke sighed. "I don't know…" he whispered back.

"Let me help you with that." Harper said, walking up to Theresa and taking the piece of cloth from her hand. "I will clean up today."

"Oh, okay." Theresa shrugged, "I will just finish the cooking then."

Harper nodded. She was going to take care of the people who treated her like their own child and gave her love and shelter. She wasn't going to be selfish like her best friends, and she was never ever going to forgive them…

Some ten years back, she would have taken things differently-she had tolerated Alex's crap all her life, after all. She would have scolded Alex, tried to convince her that what she was doing wasn't right, and then probably would have given up, just like she gave up in case of Dean. But she wasn't a 16 year old High school girl anymore. She was a grown woman- and time had changed her a lot. She barely had contact with Alex after her marriage to that jerk, and when she met her best friend after so many years, the first Alex-y thing she did was kiss her brother! She couldn't forgive her for _this_. No. 

* * *

One month later, Alex was rushed into the hospital at midnight. "You'll be fine, I promise." Justin said to her again, as she was taken into the room that she dreaded the most, along with their mother, while he was left outside, along with the rest of the family, the door slamming in his face.

He touched the thin door that separated them, the material **cold** against his sweaty palms, reminding him of the **cold** truth that this child wasn't his, and he had no right to see it being born, or to call it his own. 

"She'll be fine; don't worry bro." Max assured, patting Justin's shoulder.

Justin just kept staring at the door. It wasn't just Alex that he was worried about- he was worried about the child too. Was he even allowed to be feeling so nervous about this child, as nervous as a biological father would have been at that moment?

"Do you want some coffee?" Jane asked Jerry.

Jerry nodded. "That would be great…"

"What about you, Justin?" she asked again.

Justin shook his head. "No, thanks."

The warmth of coffee could never overwhelm the strange, cold hollow in his heart. His mind was cluttered with a thousand fears- was Alex going to be all right? Was the child going to be all right? What would she look like? Would she be as beautiful and devious as Alex? Would she like him? Would she play with him? Or would she hate him? Would she ever learn the sick truth about him and Alex? Would she tear them apart? 

Jane shoved a mug of coffee in his hand, breaking him out of his thoughts. "You can't take care of them if you don't take care of yourself." She reasoned.

He sighed. "Thanks, Jane."

* * *

The child was born at dawn.

It was a pure and innocent child, as it was not a fruit of sin, and it was safe and secure, as it would never suffer from recessive genetic disease. 

Their mother cooed at the baby girl, finding similarities with its mother. Their father wiped his tears, because his baby girl had grown up. Their brother and his wife were smiling and jumping in joy.

He looked at the child in his sister's arms in awe. It was almost his hands' length; its eyes closed as it slept _peacefully i_n the _safety_ of its mother's arms, a thin carpet of hair covering its head.

He looked back up at Alex, who was looking tired, yet content, with tears in her eyes. "She's beautiful." She whispered to him.

"Yeah," he smiled, looking back at the child, "almost like a doll…."

Alex chuckled slightly through her tears. "Don't even _think_ about naming her Dolly."

He smiled at the memory. He never understood why his parents had named their daughter Alex, when he had constantly insisted about her being named Dolly. "Actually, I was thinking about naming her Adawna." He whispered softly.

"What! You haven't decided about the baby's name yet?" Theresa cried.

"Sorry if we were a little busy with the whole divorce thing", Alex snapped, rolling her eyes, and then quirked a questioning eyebrow at Justin.

He smiled. "It's a Latin name."

Alex snorted. Only Justin would do so much research for a name. **("All parents do, Alex." He corrects her smugly. "Just admit it! I'm a better parent than you are.")**

"It means the first appearance of light, daybreak." He explained, "that'd be perfect for someone born at dawn."

Alex looked down at the sleeping child in her hands and smiled. She was indeed the first appearance of light: the first appearance of light in her life, the first ray of hope she saw in years. So, yeah, maybe she can let Justin be corny once in her life. "It's perfect."

"I know." He smiled, looking at the child. "Absolutely perfect."

* * *

"Dad, I will be fine. Justin will be with me, remember?" she assured her father again, as she sat on her bed in her room in his apartment.

**(She smacks his shoulder hard and yells. "For the love of your old limbs, Justin, our apartment! Do you want me to throw you out to make you understand this?"**

**He gulps. "No.")**

Jerry nodded. "Just call us if you need anything, okay?"

Alex nodded too, as she hugged her father and said goodbye.

* * *

"There, she's asleep now." Theresa whispered, kissing Adawna's forehead softly.

"Thanks mom." Justin whispered back, smiling.

"I think you should carry her to her crib now." She said softly, extending the baby in her arms towards him.

"I-I…" Justin stuttered nervously, "I've never held her before…"

Theresa smiled. "Well, start now."

Justin gulped uneasily. "Um, I, I… I don't know how to hold a child…" **("Hey, that's not true! You held me when I was born!" Alex protests. "Yeah, but mom was helping me hold you!" He reasons.) **

Theresa's smile grew. "Here, let me show you." She said, placing the child in Justin's arms and positioning his hand to support her head properly. "There you go."

Justin looked down at the child, speechless. Its eyes were closed, its facial expression showing how safe it felt in his arms. The feeling of its soft tiny hands and legs against his torso was so sweet, so tender, so comforting, his vast vocabulary fell short for describing it. This was the best feeling in the whole world. 

"We need to go home, honey." Jerry said, as he kissed the forehead of the child softly.

**("Oh would you just stop calling me 'the child'?" Adawna growls. "I do have a ridiculously big and difficult to spell name that my father just had to choose for me. It's Adawna –A-D-A-W-N-A; in case you don't remember it anymore, dork."**

"**Stop calling me dork!" Justin said in annoyance. **

"**I will- after you stop calling me 'the child'!" she snapped back.)**

Justin entered the room after their parents left, Adawna still in his arms.

"Justin, I-"Alex began immediately.

"Shhh…" Justin hissed at her. "Keep it down! She's sleeping!"

"What!" Alex hissed back. "So now I can't even yell at you?"

Justin grinned, still looking at Adawna. "Yeah."

Alex crossed her arms. "This is so unfair, this is just- _oh my gosh are you holding her_?" she squealed, jumping out of the bed immediately.

Justin panicked as Adawna stirred in his arms. "Shhh!" he glared at Alex, gently caressing Adawna's head. "Go back to sleep, baby, nice baby, sweet baby." Adawna stirred more, opened her eyes and began crying. "Umm, Alex!" he panicked.

Alex chuckled as she took Adawna from his arms. "Here, teddy bear, mommy's here, calm down."

After Adawna fell asleep again, Alex placed her in the crib and sat on the bed beside Justin.

"This is totally your fault." Justin murmured. "You shouldn't have been screaming."

"What!" Alex hissed. "You don't even know to put her back to sleep!"

"I have never handled an infant before!"

"Well neither have I!" she pointed out.

"But you are the mother! You are supposed to know this. I am not the fa-…I…I…" his words trailed off into silence. That cold truth kept coming back to his mind just too many times.

"Justin", she whispered firmly, taking his hands in hers, "You are her guardian now… You are going to have to share her responsibilities with me…"

He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"For example, you should probably take charge of her education. I know how cruel homework is, so I can never make any other human suffer."

He chuckled tauntingly. "Your child is _just_ born and you start thinking about education? Wow Alex! I surely didn't expect that from _you_… and how do you know homework is cruel? When did _you_ ever do your homework?"

She smacked his shoulder and glared at him. "Jerk."

* * *

**Six months later**

The doorbell rang.

"Coming!" Alex yelled, pulling Adawna more firmly into her arm as she got up from the couch. She opened the door to find Justin standing outside. "Where the heck have you been? Why are you so late? And why didn't you-" she demanded, but paused when she looked at him.

His eyes were red, teary, dazed- some strange and horrifying expression in them, something that she couldn't assign a name to, something that made her shudder with fear- his fists trembling; one corner of his shirt coming out of his jeans, his messy hair sticking to his forehead become of the sweat. 

"Justin?" she whispered tentatively.

He didn't reply. He just entered the apartment and sank to the couch, closing his eyes and titling his head backwards.

"A-are… are you okay?" she whispered softly.

He still didn't reply, and remained motionless- as if he hadn't even heard her.

"Justin?" she tried again.

"Leave me alone, Alex." He begged, his throat choked with tears.

"W-what happened?" She asked fearfully.

"Please Alex." He pleaded again, through gritted teeth.

"Justin, you know you can tell me, I-"

"Just leave **damn it**!" he yelled, finally loosing his temper, opening his eyes and looking at her. He cringed when he saw the shock and fear in her eyes, and Adawna started crying, awakened from her sleep.

"Alex, I am sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"We will talk when you calm down." She said firmly, as she focused her attention on calming down Adawna's crying and went back to their room.

He slammed his fist on the palm of his other hand angrily. This wasn't what he had meant to do! He didn't intend to hurt them…but the scene that he had witnessed a few hours back was so horrifying, he shuddered even as he thought about it. He needed to talk to someone and get his contemplations out of his mind.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Smith, um, do you have a moment?" he asked tentatively, as the old man opened the door.

"Ummm sure." Mr. Smith replied instantly, smiling. "Come on in and take a seat!"

Justin entered the apartment and sank to the couch.

"So…. I assume you want to talk?" Mr. Smith asked softly, taking a seat in front of him.

Justin nodded, as he sat straight up and placed his hand in his lap, looking down at the ground and fidgeting with his fingers. "I need to ask you something…"

"Go ahead."

Justin looked up at him, his face and eyes void of any trace of emotion. "What would you do if you see your worst enemy trying to die right in front of your eyes?"

Mr. Smith stared at Justin as he heard the weird question. "Oh, I get it, another weird debate at your office, huh?"

Justin didn't bother to correct him that he worked in a college. "Yeah, something like that."

Mr. Smith nodded. "You and your weird friends! Anyways, I think I would try to save him Justin."

"Even if he had tried to harm someone you love the most?" Justin asked again, his voice pained.

Mr. Smith nodded. "Yes, Justin. Even if he tried to harm someone I loved**…. ****No one deserves to die… if we let someone commit suicide in front of our eyes; we are just as wrong as that very person…****"**

Justin closed his eyes and sighed. "Thanks, Mr. Smith."

* * *

After a walk in the park to calm himself down, Justin entered his apartment softly and looked around. He saw Alex was sitting on the dinner table, her eyes shut.

"Alex, I-"

"You are back!" Alex exclaimed, getting up and running into his arms. "I was so worried about you! Where were you? And why weren't you answering my calls? I was so scared! Goodness, are you okay? Justin?"

"Where's Adawna?" he asked softly as he returned her embrace.

"In her crib, sleeping." She murmured as she placed her head on his shoulder. "You should stop scaring me like this. I was going to-"

"-Alex." He whispered, cutting off her words and pulling her away gently. "I am sorry… I shouldn't have taken down my anger on you… I... I love you so much… I shouldn't have shouted like that…I..."

Alex stepped back and studied his face properly. There were marks of dry tears over his cheeks, and his eyes were still red. "It's… It's okay…" she assured softly, and because she was Alex, raised an eyebrow and added, "-unless you want to _make it up to me_?"

He didn't reply to her question. "Will you hate me if I lie to you?" he asked suddenly, changing the topic.

"W-What?" Alex stuttered, staring at his eyes in confusion.

"Will you hate me if I keep a secret from you?"

"You never lie to me… Why would you do that?" she questioned.

"Because it's better this way." He whispered, as his lips quivered in a sob at the memory. "And because I promised someone."

Alex shrugged. "I trust you Justin, I'm cool with whatever you decide Justin, as long as you are okay… are you sure you're-"

"-I want to make you mine, forever." he cut her off.

"W-wh- _what_?" she stuttered again in disbelief.

"I want to claim you tonight." He whispered into her ear as he placed his arm around her waist possessively. "I want to make sure that we are one heart and one soul, and you'll never ever leave me."

"I will never ever leave you Justin." She whispered back. "You already know that."

She pulled back slightly. Her beaming eyes met his passionate ones. He looked so pained, so broken, so vulnerable. Was he even thinking straight? "Are you sure about this?" she asked softly. He simply nodded.

**("Doesn't this happen the other way around?" Adawna asks, smirking.**

**Alex smirks back proudly. "All these years with us Adawna, and you still haven't figured out that I wear the pants in this relation? Really?")**

She reached into the back pocket of his jeans to pull out his wallet. And that was all the permission he needed. His lips crashed on hers, biting her bottom lip hungrily, making her knees grow weak and drop the wallet in her hand to the floor. His arms went around her waist to balance her weight. She wrapped one hand around his neck, reaching up to caress his messy hair, while her other hand went under his shirt, studying the muscles that he never let her explore till that moment. He groaned, wild with desire. **Her lips still tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin. **

**( She sits up in her chair and starts describing enthusiastically. "And then he picked up the wallet and-" **

"**-ALEX!" he cuts her off, shrieking in his panic. "DON'T GO INTO THE DETAILS! YOU ARE SPEAKING IN FRONT OF YOUR KID! HAVE SOME DECENCY!"**

**She rolls her eyes. "She's old enough."**

**He glares at her, his cheeks red in embarrassment. "I wish you really had turned your lips into a zipper for dad's birthday, instead of getting that stupid Merlin's hat."**

**She rolls her eyes again. "Okay, so then we-"**

"**Ew!" Adawna cuts her off, scrunching her nose in disgust. "I am with daddy on this one, I don't wanna hear this story!"**

"**What!" Alex protests, crossing her arms. "So you will listen to his lame, corny, cliché angst drama, but not my spicy one?"**

**Adawna shrugs, stealing some pop-corn from Justin's bowl. "Yupe."**

**Alex glares at her. "Traitor.")**

"Justin?" she whispered against his bare chest, still breathing heavily, her body and mind still recuperating from unleashing the repressed passion of years.

"Hmm?" he whispered back against the skin where her neck met her shoulder, making her shudder. _**Damn**__, she was perfect_.

"What happened today?" she asked softly.

"Nothing that you need to worry about." He assured quickly, gently kissing her skin, darting out his tongue and tasting it.

She stifled a moan. _**Damn**__ his touch_. "Why were you acting so weird and upset?" she breathed.

He sighed, his hot breath tickling her skin. "Alex, everything's okay now… you don't need to worry about anything… I just… I had a hard choice to make, okay? And I did the right thing."

**("Of course you did- you are Justin, duh!")**

She pulled away from him and looked at his eyes. There was no lust anymore- just pure love. "Why did you take me tonight, of all times?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I have been thinking about this for quite while now." He admitted, blushing a shade of red. "And today, I just realized once again how much I love you Alex… I couldn't control myself anymore… I needed all of you today."

She sighed contently, as a teasing smirk formed on her face and her eyes lit up in a devious way. "What took you so long?"

He glared at her for teasing him even after what they had just done, for ruining their moment. Then his eyes softened and he kissed her hand softly. "I want us to forget whatever bad happened in the past and move forward, okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. **Damn** the past.

They fell asleep, holding each other's bare bodies in their arms, waiting for a new day… 

….until Adawna started crying at midnight and Alex made Justin get up and change her diaper. Well, some things never change.

* * *

(A/N: all loose ends will be wrapped up at the end of the story. What happened that day will be revealed in the epilogue. It doesn't affect the storyline much though, except the make-up thing between Justin and Alex ;) I couldn't make myself write a steamy scene because I didn't want to change the rating to M, plus, I am not comfortable with writing that stuff. I hope I didn't disappoint the readers who were expecting something like that! **Please review**!)

**P.S.- if you have read all/most of my jalex one-shots, I am just curious to know something. Can you please take the time and vote on the poll in my profile? Thanks!**


	20. Ch 19: Life must go on

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the characters, except Adawna, or the songs I have used here. **

**Warning: Long chapter. around 2700 mood shifts completely through the chapter. The end part of this chapter has intense angst. **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 19: life must go on.**

"_Nobody wanna see us together, _

_But it don't matter no,_

_Cause I got you._

_First we go fight, oh yes we go fight,_

_Believe we go fight,_

_Fight for our right to love, yeah."_

_-Don't matter, Akon_

_

* * *

_

**When Adawna was one year old-**

"I'm getting a job." She announced happily, walking into their room and sitting down on the floor beside him, while he was feeding Adawna.

"W-What?" He looked up from the baby crib in surprise. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't have much to do at home."

"Yes you do." He protested. "You need to look after the child!"

"Geez, relax Justin, I'm just taking a part-time job." She snapped, snatching the feeding bottle from his hands and feeding the baby herself. "She's a year old now. We can get a baby-sitter."

The baby began to cry and Alex handed the bottle back to him quickly and crossed her arms in front her, sitting back lazily on the bed. "How come she doesn't let anyone else feed her when you're around?"

He shrugged, smiling at the baby, "Some people are not Alex Russo, and they appreciate love and care." He teased.

She rolled her eyes and settled back on their bed.

"Why do you want a job anyway?" he asked curiously. "You never liked working."

"You've been working too hard." She said in a low voice.

"What?" he asked, eying her for two seconds, and then focusing on feeding the last part of milk to the baby, "what do you mean?"

She sighed, watching him wipe Adawna's mouth with the clean piece of cloth, and looked away. "I feel bad that you have to suffer so much for me and _my_ child."

A look of pain and hurt flashed in his eyes, suddenly remembering that the child he loved the most wasn't _his_… he pulled his hand away, along with the empty feeding bottle. 

Alex gulped. The last thing she had wanted to do was hurt Justin. "Justin, I-"

"Da-da?" the baby stuttered from her crib, looking up at him with a hopeful smile.

Alex gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, as her little daughter said her first words. She was sure that she and her siblings had recognized their mother first, but instead of disappointment, there was a strange tug of hope as well as pain in her bosom**. The child had grown close to her uncle and was now calling him her dad.** Oh God!

Justin froze, looking at the child in front of him, a child that wasn't his but he loved nevertheless, a child that would hate him a few years from that moment when she'd learn about his illicit relation with its mother, a child he loved with all his heart and soul, a child that wasn't his, yet felt like his own- **because it was a child that belonged to his Alex**. His eyes filled with tears and he smiled, feeling the same way he had felt when Alex first called his name.

"Gosh, you don't have to be such a sentimental freak all the time." Alex whined, getting up and joining him on the floor.

"I don't think you _need t_o work." He said with determination.

She felt her own eyes water up as well. Could she ever ask for a better life partner? "Fine." She smiled, looking at her happy but not-so-perfect family. "I never really liked working anyway…" she said, chuckling.

He chuckled too, and then his eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh, I missed videotaping her first words! Oh man!" he groaned.

She frowned. "Of course you did… you are just as careless as dad."

"What! How is this my fault?" he protested instantly, frowning.

She shrugged, getting up again. "Put her to sleep, I am gonna go and make myself some pasta."

"Hey, make some for me too!" he yelled behind her, as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

**When Adawna was two years old-**

"Justin!" Alex yelled from their room, frantically searching through their closet.

"I'm a little busy here." He yelled back from the living room, where he was playing with Adawna.

Alex groaned in fury and stormed into the room. "Would you just come here for two minutes? I can't find the video camera!"

"What?" he shrieked, getting up instantly. "You lost it _again_? I **told you** to keep it in the closet!"

"I **did**, but now I can't find it!" she snapped, burying her head in her hands and trying to remember. "Justin, help me, please!"

"I will have to search for it then." He said through gritted teeth. "_Again_."

She glared at him. "Hey, just because I-"

They stopped suddenly, when they heard Adawna's voice. They turned around to find her walking up to them, taking slow unsteady steps. Alex rushed to her, to make sure she didn't fall.

"Look, she's walking!" she chirped in excitement. "This is amazing, now we just need to videotape it. "She paused and gulped, as she met Justin's glare. "_After we find the camera_." She added.

"This one is totally your fault." He snarled, rushing into the room.

* * *

**When Adawna was three years old- **

"We need to talk." Their father announced suddenly after dinner one day.

Justin glanced at Alex nervously. She simply shrugged.

"Okay," He said, wiping ice-cream off three- year old Adawna's mouth with a clean cloth. "Let me put her to sleep first."

Their mother, who was sitting beside Alex, nodded nervously.

"What! No! Daddy!" Adawna protested, pouting, "I want to watch TV."

"Not today. Daddy has some work to do." He said gently as he lifted her up and carried her to her room.

"What is it?" he asked his parents, once he was finished reading fairy-tales to Adawna and was able to put her to sleep.

Their father fidgeted with his fingers for a moment, looking at the wall.

"Sit down." Their mother commanded gently, patting the seat next to hers. Justin raised an eyebrow skeptically, but obeyed without an argument.

"We think Alex and the child need to stay with us." Their mother announced softly, placing a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"What!" Justin almost shrieked, but strained his voice to be low so that his little princess wouldn't wake up. "Why, may I ask?" he snapped angrily, yanking his mother's hand away.

His mother sighed, looking at Alex and gently putting an arm around her shoulder. She looked back at a confused Justin and tried to smile. "You're growing up. You're reaching the age for marriage… soon you'll have your own family."

Alex froze, stunned by what was happening.

"What?" Justin finally yelled, standing up in shock. "Mom! They are my family now!"

"But Justin, she's your sister!" Theresa protested, putting emphasis on the word sister, as the thoughts she had been ignored in her mind echoed in her ears.

"No." Justin said, and the world paused at the moment. "**She's my ****life**."

Their parents looked at him with a strange expression in their eyes, a mixture of **shock**, **anger, hurt, pain and questions**, and again he felt sick.

"Is it true then?" their father asked, finally breaking the silence, fear evident in his cracking voice.

"Yes." Justin replied, looking straight in his father's eyes. "I love her."

He felt a slap in his cheek and a slamming of door as his mother left. His shocked father followed soon, giving Alex a disappointed look as well.

And just like that, their parents ended all ties with them. 

A sob escaped from her mouth, and he looked at her to see tears started streaming down her face. He recomposed himself, ready to go there and hug her- after all, he was the older one, he had to be the one to stay strong. He took two steps towards her when a sleepy Adawna walked out of her room, probably awakened by all the noise.

"Daddy?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking back at her. She was wearing her Mickey Mouse shirt, holding her giant size teddy bear in her right hand and dragging it in their marble floor. He couldn't help but smile, she looked just like a little doll, their little doll.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around, and seeing her mother crying.

"Mommy is just upset about something." Justin whispered as he took his little girl in his arms again, "let me put you to sleep again quickly and then come back to her, okay?"

Adawna nodded, closing her eyes tightly. "I love you mommy." She chirped at Alex.

Alex's lips quivered and she felt sick again. They were cheating so many people they loved…

"I love you daddy." She added, wrapping her tiny hands around his strong shoulders contently.

Justin's throat choked. Their parents had cut them off forever. Would their daughter do this to them someday too? 

He put her to sleep, and looked at her peaceful face guiltily. Would the truth tear apart this innocent sleeping child someday? 

He came back to the living room and looked at Alex. "Alex, I-" He whispered, trying to comfort her with a hug.

She yanked his hand away, ran into their room and slammed the door shut.

**("I still don't understand why you were mad at me." He says. **

"**Justin, I don't need a reason to be mad at you." She points out. "More importantly, **

**Why did you never turn us to the cops, dad?" she asks her father. **

"**You're our kids, Alex." Jerry points out. "We love you no matter what… we couldn't make yourselves do that to you.")**

He sank to the couch, burying his face in his hands and howling in pain. A memory of his childhood came back to him.

_{"You want me to fight with mom for you?" he whispered to her. She nodded instantly. _

"_Alex, you know I can't argue with mom... Children must always obey their parents." He whispered again, but stopped when he saw her glaring at him, the same way their mother was glaring at their father two minutes back. _

_And it worked. "Please mom, let her wear whatever makes her comfortable." He pleaded, looking at their mother.}_

Back then, had he ever thought he'd be fighting for her with his parents like this? Had he ever imagined that he would tear his family apart? 

His mind was clouded with the familiar fears again. What happened next? What would happen to them if their parents filed a case against them? What would happen to little Adawna without them to take care of her? 

He got up from the couch immediately and walked into Adawna's room again, sitting on the chair beside her bed and staring at her, assuring himself that she would be alright.

**

* * *

**

**The next day **

Sleep never came to either to them, the night being filled with tears and more tears. When morning arrived, she opened the door softly and walked out of the room. She panicked for a moment when she didn't see him in the living room. She ran up to Adawna's room, and found him there, his head resting on the edge of the bed, supported by his right hand. He probably fell asleep during dawn. At that moment, he looked completely broken.

"Justin…" she whispered, walking up to him and kneeling on the floor in front of him. He didn't move, his body shaking for brief moments even in his sleep... "Justin," she whispered a little louder, shaking him gently.

"No! Leave us alone!" he shrieked, jerking up from his sleep.

She jerked back, surprised by his sudden action. "Justin, it's just me…"

"Alex!" he sobbed, pulling her into him desperately. "Oh Alex." He breathed, running his hands through her messy hair.

She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. They had to get on with their routine lives- it was a weekday, after all. "It's a Tuesday… you have classes at college today…"

He shook his head. "I will take a leave today… I don't want to leave you guys alone here like this." He sobbed harder, holding her closer to him. "I won't let them take Adawna away from us, I promise." He whispered firmly.

She looked at their child. who was now stirring awake because of their conversations. That finally got her- she broke down into a fresh round of tears. Why should their child suffer for their sin?

* * *

**Five hours later**

Their heart stopped beating the moment the doorbell rang. Alex pulled Adawna into her lap, glancing nervously at Justin. Justin gulped, and reached the door. Taking in a deep breath, he opened it.

"Max?" he asked in surprise, as he looked around behind Max to see his parents or the police.

"They didn't." Max deadpanned.

"Huh?" Justin asked in confusion.

"They didn't call the cops… they wouldn't." Max explained. "But they are not speaking to you guys again. And neither am I."

Alex heaved a sigh of relief, even as the pain of losing her little brother hurt her badly.

"Max, look, I know what we are doing is-"

"I am not mad for what you are doing." Max cut him off, looking at him with an intense gaze. "I am mad at you for not telling me, for not trusting me with this…"

"I trust you." Justin assured quickly. "I just… we…" he trailed off, unable to find words, and sighed. "We are sorry Max, do you forgive us?"

Max sighed. "Yeah, but, I promised mom and dad that I wouldn't talk to you, and I can't hurt them _like you guys did_."

Justin gulped again. Those words **stung**.

"Bye guys." Max whispered, turning on his heels and leaving before Justin could notice his tears.

And just like that, the last person remaining in their lives walked out on them too. 

He turned around and looked at Alex, and then at Adawna. The little girl was staring back and forth between them in confusion. He smiled, walking up to her, and took her in his arms. "It's okay teddy bear, everything's all right today."

Adawna giggled in her childish innocence, as Justin swung her around in his arms.

**Alex looked at them and wiped her tears with resolution. ****Life must go on. "To the future" she whispered softly, as she sipped a glass of water.**

**

* * *

**(A/N: phew, a lot of angst. I'm sorry this took a long time guys, life's just been changing too fast, and I am just too confused with everything. Anyways, reviews dropped A LOT. :( Please review, please! I put in a lot of effort onto this. *sad pout* I'm gonna hold up for reviews on this one, because I need to work on my Maid Sama! fic too.)


	21. Ch 20: The half truth

**Chapter 20: the half truth. **

**Disclaimer: still don't own wowp or the characters except Adawna. Nor the song.

* * *

**

"_You think that I'd learn my lesson by now,_

_you think that I'd somehow figure out,_

_That when you strike a match, you've found a field of flames._

_You think that I'd learn the cost of love,_

_And paid that price long enough._

_But still I drive myself right through the pain._

_Yeah, well it turns out, I haven't learnt a thing."_

_-Learn my lesson, Daughtry

* * *

_

**When Adawna was five years old-**

When she was five, they finally decided to tell her the truth about her 'daddy'.

"Umm, Adawna, we have something important to tell you." Alex said nervously at the dinner table, sipping a glass of water.

"Yeah?" Adawna quirked her eye-brow. "_You_ have something important to say?" she grinned slightly, amused by the idea that her mother could be serious.

Alex glared at her and then looked at Justin. "Justin I can't do this." She whined. "You have to do this."

"Sure, dad, do this." Adawna said non-chalantly, focusing on her cupcake.

Justin nodded at Alex and looked towards Adawna. "Adawna, listen to me very carefully, okay?"

Adawna nodded quickly, being 'daddy's little princess'.

Justin took a deep breath and finally began. "I'm not really your father. I'm your uncle."

Adawna stared at him for two minutes. His heart started pounding against his chest in anticipation. He was expecting her to slap him, to shriek, to have a yelling match with Alex, or to breakdown into tears, but instead, she simply burst into laughter. "Nice joke, daddy, really nice. You're learning something from mom."

Justin panicked and looked at Alex. Alex gulped. Adawna wasn't taking him seriously! Oh God!

"That _is_ the truth Adawna", Alex snapped, feeling uncomfortable, nervous and hence, angry, "He is your uncle. He's not your dad. And you've gotta stop calling him daddy."

Adawna stopped laughing, and stared at her mother, tears forming in her eyes. "No!" she screamed as she got up from her chair and threw the cup-cake at the floor. "I will not stop calling him daddy!" she yelled, stomping her foot. "he is my father. He is my daddy. I don't care if he happens to be your brother. That's your fault, not mine."

Alex and Justin froze at her words. It wasn't their _fault _that they were siblings; it was their _fate_. Someone must have misplaced the words 'brother' and 'boyfriend' while framing their destiny. 

"Please tell me I can call you daddy, please." Adawna pleaded, wrapping her arms around Justin's shoulder and crying.

Justin nodded as he returned the hug.

"He is not your father!" Alex snapped angrily, as she stood up, wiped her hands and threw the napkin away.

"Then why didn't you tell me before?" Adawna yelled, breaking away from Justin.

"You wouldn't have understood!" Alex yelled back.

"You lied to me!" Adawna growled as she pointed her index finger at Alex, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Adawna, calm down." Justin tried comforting her.

"Stay away from me! I don't wanna talk to you!" Adawna yelled, running away to her room.

* * *

**Seven days later**

"Come on Adawna, eat your dinner." Alex announced, throwing the door to her daughter's room open.

"No!" Adawna yelled, rolling over in her bed and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Alex finally lost her temper and began yelling. "That's it! You have been acting cranky for the last seven days. You need to listen to us! Let us explain everything! You need to learn to behave yourself! You have no right to-"

Justin placed an arm around her shoulder and stopped her ranting, calming her down. "I'll talk to her… You finish your packing."

Alex instantly relaxed in his arms and nodded. Moving away from Justin was such a hard decision, but that seemed to be the only option at that moment with the way Adawna was behaving. She had to make such a tough choice! She had to put her feelings aside for her child. Justin had instantly agreed to it, even as his heart broke, just for Adawna's happiness. He loved her too much.

Shooting a deadly glare in Adawna' direction, Alex walked out of the room silently.

Justin sighed and sat down on the bed, fidgeting with his fingers nervously. "We need to talk."

Adawna shook her head. "I don't wanna talk."

"Well then, how about I speak and you listen?" he asked gently, lying down beside her.

She shrugged and scooted away from him. That **stung** him deep inside his chest. Was his little girl starting to push him away forever? 

He sighed and looked at her. "Do you want to know about your father?"

She shrugged. "I… I don't know…" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes again. Justin tried to comfort her with a hug, but she pushed him away. "Tell me all about him!" she demanded angrily.

Justin gulped. "Okay." He took in a deep breath, and began narrating a G-rated version of the story. "Your father's name is Mike… Your mom met him during her High School years. They dated for a few years and finally settled down. But… your dad was really mean to your mom, so she came back a few month before your birth…" he took in another deep breath and looked at her, his heart aching when he saw the tears that were now rolling down her cheeks. "Do you want to know more about him?" he asked softly.

She nodded, wiping a few tears. "Why was he mean to my mom?"

Justin gulped. Was he supposed to tell her the sick truth at that moment? Deciding not to burden the already broken girl with more harsh truth, he shrugged. "They didn't get along well."

Adawna whimpered, looking away. "Why did he never come to see me? Doesn't he love me?"

Justin inhaled sharply. Explaining this to a five year old child was so difficult. Maybe they should have waited for a few more years…"He loves you. He loves you a lot." He assured.

"Where is he now?" Adawna demanded angrily. "Tell me where he is!"

Justin gulped hard. The horrifying scene from years back came back to his mind. He could clearly hear the desperate, pleading voice- "_Promise me Justin, please promise that they will never know. PROMISE ME_!"

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut the blood-stained memory away. He had to keep his promise. He opened his eyes and focused his gaze on Adawna, who was looking at him intently.

"Your father's dead." He blurted out in one breath.

Adawna froze, taking in his words.

Justin winced. That was not how he had meant to say it! "Adawna, I didn't mean to…"He sighed and started petting her head with his hand. This time, she didn't protest.

"Why did you treat me like your child?" she asked, letting more tears slip from her eyes.

He gulped. How was he supposed to explain to her the fatherly emotions he felt when he first saw her, when he first held her, when she first called him dad, looking up at him with that heart-melting smile, when she first learnt to walk, when he read fairytales to her and she listened attentively, when she fell off the swings at the playground and started to cry? 

"I am your uncle…" he said instead. The truth sounded so harsh even to his own ears!

"No." She shook her head, and he forgot how to breathe. "_You_ are my father…"

"Adawna, I-"

"Please, daddy, please don't push me away!" she pleaded, suddenly throwing her arms around his shoulder. "Please let me stay here with you!"

Justin blinked, taken aback. "Umm, We… we thought you didn't want to stay here anymore?"

Adawna pulled back and looked at his eyes. "What! What made you think that?"

He shrugged.

"Mom's idea?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

He nodded, eyebrows creased together in confusion. "Umm… yeah…"

She snorted. "Of course, who else can cause such a great misunderstanding?"

"But… but you said you don't wanna to me?"

"Yeah, I did. I didn't wanna talk to you." Adawna answered quickly, her sobs subsiding. "But that was because I needed some time alone… not because I hate you or something… she just jumped into conclusions!"

Justin looked at her in disbelief. "So, you're not mad at me?" he asked tentatively.

Adawna tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment. "If I say I am mad at you, will you buy me a cell phone?"

Justin stared at her in disbelief again and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. You're too young to own _or _use a cell phone."

Adawna groaned and slumped back into the bed.

"But I can get you something else." Justin said, grinning, as he suddenly got an idea. He rushed into their store room and came back quickly.

"Dolls?" Adawna snickered. "Dad, sorry if you lost count, but I'm a five year old girl now."

"Hey, these are special." Justin protested. "I and your mom used to play with it when we were young."

"Really?" Adawna asked, finally showing some interest and grabbing the dolls.

"And I also brought you mom's old doll house." He said grinning. "It's in your play room."

Adawna threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks daddy!"

Justin returned the embrace. "So, are we cool?"

She nodded. "As long as you let me call you daddy…"

His eyes filled with happy tears. "Deal." He whispered, beaming with delight. "Now there's one more thing left to do…" he whispered, walking away.

* * *

Justin entered her room, closing and locking the door behind him.

Alex looked back at him and groaned. "What is it now, Justin?"

"Stop packing." He ordered, sitting down on the bed.

She looked at him like he was crazy.

"It's all right now." He explained, staring at the ceiling. "She doesn't want to leave…"

"Really?" she asked in a hopeful voice, as she abandoned her packing, got up from the floor, and sat beside him on the bed. "But I thought she-"

"-Stop thinking." He said, glaring at her. "And stop jumping to conclusions."

"Oh." She muttered, biting her tongue. "So, um, I got it all wrong?" she asked, smiling sheepishly.

He nodded, still glaring at her. "Apologize. **Now**." He demanded.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. Did he really expect her to apologize? Her lips curved downwards into a mischievous grin as she suddenly had a mischievous plan. "I have a better idea…" she whispered, trailing her hands down his fore-arms.

"Alex." He warned.

She rolled her eyes and ignored him, continuing the motion with her hands, her fingers tracing circular patterns on his skin.

"You nearly tore our family apart!" he reprimanded.

"Did you tell her about… us?" she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. "No… I don't think she can take that… she should never know."

"But how can we-"

"-We have to be careful Alex." He cut her off.

"Hmm…" she breathed, still continuing with her actions.

He grabbed her wrists and forced her to stop, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. Her breath hitched at this sudden turn of control. "Justin…" she whined, licking her lips.

He simply kept staring at her lips, slowing leaning closer. And just when their lips were about to brush…

…."JUSTIN!" she yelled, as he suddenly got up and away from her.

He looked at her and grinned darkly, enjoying the teasing. "Serves you right." He snarled, before walking out of the room, leaving her dumb-founded.

Alex breathed deeply in derision and desire. "J-jerk!" she yelled weakly behind his back.

* * *

"What do I name them?" Adawna asked her mom as she walked out of the room.

Alex looked at her face in confusion, and then at her hands. She gasped in surprise when she saw her old dolls. "Those… they are…"

Adawna nodded. "Yours… what did you call them?"

"I named them Justin and Alex." Alex replied, smiling to herself at the memory of her innocent childhood.

"Hello, Justin and Alex." Adawna said, smiling at her dolls.

* * *

**When Adawna was ten years old-**

When Adawna was ten years old, she walked into the kitchen one morning and caught sight of her mother, sprawled on the kitchen table, kissing her brother fiercely, her arms wrapped around his neck.

She gasped at the sight before she could stop herself, and they froze.

"Umm….Adawna.. it's not what it looks like…" Justin stuttered, quickly breaking away from Alex, and mentally cursing himself for being so reckless. How could he let his guard down like that?

"Huh?" Adawna deadpanned.

Alex cringed and jumped into action immediately. "I know it may _look _like we were kissing… but we were _actually_ practicing….umm… CPR!"

"CPR!" Justin muttered under his breath. _That_ was the best she could come up with? They were doomed!

They both stood frozen, waiting for her answer.

Adawna shrugged. "I'm getting late for school," she replied indifferently, tapping her foot on the floor, "which is fine by me, cause you know me, I don't really like school, _BUT_ since mom's staying home today, I think school is a less scary place."

Justin and Alex glanced at each other, and then at Adawna, feeling totally lost and confused, the initial shame and guilt, being replaced by bewilderment.

"Let's go." Adawna said impatiently, walking out of the room.

"She actually bought that?" Justin asked in bewilderment, staring at the door which Adawna just exited. "It was that easy?"

"I have a feeling it wasn't." Alex said sadly, shaking her head.

Justin nodded. "We will discuss this later…" he said, before following Adawna and walking out.

"I hope so…" Alex whispered softly as she watched him leave.

* * *

The drive to the school was silent and awkward.

Adawna turned on the radio in the car, listening to it and humming the tune. Justin kept tapping his hands on the steering wheel, glancing at her nervously, but never making eye contact.

Adawna finally turned down the radio when they stopped at a traffic signal. "**How long have you been dating my mom**?"** she asked, her voice cold and harsh.**

And his heart stopped beating.

* * *

(A/N: Ah, cliffhanger! *evil grin* It wasn't intended, but I rewrote this chapter and it got too long and I had to split it and, okay I'll stop ranting :P **review for faster update**! Two more chapters and the Epilogue left, if I don't rewrite it again that is, LOL.. BTW, can you tell that I wrote this angsty chapter when I was super happy? :D)


	22. Ch 21:I don't hate you

**Disclaimer: I don't own wowp or the characters except Adawna or the song I have used at the end.**

**Warning: long chapter again. Around 2900 words. **

**Chapter 21: I don't hate you**

* * *

Adawna finally turned down the radio when they stopped at a traffic signal. "How long have you been dating my mom?" she asked, her voice cold and harsh.

And his heart stopped beating.

This was the moment he had been anticipating ever since Adawna was born. This was the moment of truth, the moment of doom, the moment when everything would fall apart. When he was a kid and didn't know about magic, he used to dream about having magical powers and using it to make everything all right. When he finally learnt about his wizard powers, he understood that magic could not be used to make everything better. But at that moment, once again he had the urge to use magic to get everything under control. Maybe there was some spell, some charm or some potion that could stop his world from falling apart? Maybe if he had his powers he could save everything?

"Hmm...W-w-what?" Justin stuttered, trying to come up with an explanation or excuse. It was just him and his straight-A-fetching brain now. "Umm… we're not dating."

"Oh please!" Adawna scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I saw you guys _kissing_ today. Why would you kiss her if you were not dating her?"

Justin gulped. How was he going to explain that?

Adawna continued her ranting. "You fight, you hug too long, you watch movies together till late at night, you cook together at holidays… don't tell me you're not dating!"

"We are not dating?" Justin tried one last time, his voice lacking any conviction. (He should really learn to lie.)

Adawna snorted. "You mean to say you still haven't asked her out?"

Justin remained silent, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in an irregular pattern, waiting for the hate words that were to come soon, the hate words that he had heard too many times from the other important people in his life, words that included 'sick', 'disgusting', 'wrong', 'sin', 'crime'.

Adawna gasped. "You didn't ask her out yet! What are you waiting for, dork?" She snapped, smacking his shoulder. "An invitation letter?"

Justin stared at her in disbelief, eyebrows quirked up in confusion.

Adawna rolled her eyes. "You need to ask her out. And by out, I mean OUT OF THE HOUSE! People go outside on dates, stop saving money by staying indoors! You should ask her out to movie or dinner dates-_and bring back take-out food for me if you want me to open the door_- and PLEASE kiss her there, because I don't want to get the image in my mind again. _Ew!_ Don't you remember how squeamish you felt when you saw your mom and dad kiss? Didn't you want to just close your eyes and run away?"

Justin's jaw dropped open; tears started welling up in his eyes. His brain tried to process what was happening. His little girl was not pushing him away?

He was brought back to reality by the honking of cars behind him and noticed that the traffic signal had turned back to green. He quickly wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and started driving again. Adawna turned on the radio and the silence between them returned.

"Okay, here we are at Hell. Yay!" Adawna said sarcastically as they reached her school. "You're coming to pick me up right? _Please_ don't send mom. I don't feel like going to the hospital today. Or to the police station. The last time she was driving she nearly hit that car…. Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that! Please don't tell her that I told you! She will make me-"

"-You are not mad at me?" Justin asked, cutting off her ranting.

She titled her head and studied him carefully. "_Why_ would I be mad at you?"

Justin gulped again. Why was she acting so casual? Was it some new kind of torture technique? "Because I…we…umm… because of what you saw this morning!" He blurted out, averting her gaze. He couldn't meet her eyes without feeling so ashamed that he'd want to hide away in the deepest circle of Hell. Never in his life had he felt more scared or guilty. 

She rolled her eyes again. "Why would I be mad about that? I always knew you had something going on…I have noticed there was something different about you guys… you guys are just too obvious, really. Next time dad, delete your texts if you don't want anyone to sneak on them-_you do know how to delete texts, right_?-… I was just waiting to catch you red-handed. I knew you would snap someday, and look, you finally did!"

Justin stared at her in disbelief. She knew for _that _long? And she didn't talk to them about it? And she didn't freak out? And she didn't feel grossed out? And she didn't hate them?

His eyes grew wide in surprise. "So… you don't hate me?" he asked incredulously.

Adawna shrugged. "For making me do my homework yesterday? Sure. I hate you for that. And for grounding me last week. And for not buying me that cell phone I wanted, and that dress that I-"

She was cut off when Justin pulled her into a bear hug.

"Ew, daddy, please, no, you are embarrassing me in front of my friends." She whined but hugged back never-the-less.

"You don't know how relieved I am Adawna…" Justin sobbed, hugging her tightly. "I had always been scared about this day. I thought you'd start hating me…. Like the others…. No one understood."

"I understand.. You two really love each other." Adawna mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder, letting her father know that she really did understand. "And stop crying like a little girl!" she snapped, pulling away and wiping his tears. "I will never hate you daddy."

She walked out of the car, closing the door behind her softly, and gave him a small smile. "Bye dad."

Justin simply managed to nod, his voice failing him as a lump rose in his throat and fresh tears found their place in his eyes. Their parents never understood, but their little girl did. His little doll didn't push him away like he had feared every single second since she was born. His little princess didn't hate him like he had dreaded every single moment in the past ten tears. A sense of relief filled him. He had won her over with his love even before she could start hating him. A sense of pride washed over him. He had built her perfectly- she was growing up to be a non-judgmental person, just like he wanted. He had succeeded in giving this world a person with a good heart. 

**("Why did you think I'd do hate you? You are my daddy. I love you no matter what. I grew up seeing you and mom together… you two are pretty normal for me…" His little girl still stays.)**

* * *

The drive back home was normal, with Adawna spilling her drink in Justin's car (again) while talking to her friend on his phone, and Justin glaring at her at regular intervals, gesturing her to get off the phone, while she rolled her eyes and ignored him (as usual). They climbed up the stairs and Justin rang the doorbell.

Alex opened it immediately, looking at them anxiously. Was everything all right? Or were they going to fall apart? What if Adawna started hating Justin? How was she going to choose between the two most important persons in her life? 

Justin smiled at her reassuringly and nodded. Everything was fine. They had not lost the last person left in their lives. Destiny's cruel wish had spared them this time. 

Alex sighed in relief and threw her arms around Adawna. "Oh my baby girl, I am _so glad_ you're not mad at us!"

Adawna deadpanned. "Who said I'm not mad at you?"

Alex pulled back from her and looked at her face in surprise, fear and alarm.

Adawna grinned mischievously. "Gotcha!"

Alex glared at her threateningly. "Adawna! This is serious! You have to stop joking like that! You are a completely spoilt little girl. Your father has totally pampered you…You are annoying, disrespectful, and apathetic. You have got to stop scaring me like that!"

Adawna simply waved her off and sank down onto the couch. "Are you done?"

"She is. I am not." Justin said, motioning for Alex to get some food for the kitchen, and sitting down in the chair in front of Adawna, ready for parenting her. "Now, let's talk about you stealing my cell phone and reading my texts without my permission. First give me the details of all the things you shouldn't know but have found out, and then let's decide how many weeks I should ground you for that."

Adawna bit her lip, mentally cursing herself for letting that slip from her mouth earlier in the morning. _She was so busted. _

(And everything was normal again…)

* * *

Justin was sleeping peacefully that night after a long time, a sense of relief and security in his mind. Suddenly, a body threw itself at him. He yelped in surprise and sat up, turning on the light and grabbing his spectacles.

"Alex!" he hissed, seeing the person who had trespassed into his bed. "What are you doing here?"

She glared at him. "Don't talk like you don't know what I am doing here!"

"Get out of here!" he hissed again, his voice squeaky. "You'll wake up Adawna!"

Alex simply shrugged. "She knows… we don't need to hide and lie anymore…" Deciding to take a more direct approach, she turned off the light and threw herself at Justin again.

"Alex!" he muttered through clenched teeth. "Not today."

She looked up at him and pouted. "Why not?"

He simply put his arms around her and hugged her innocently.

"Justin?" she asked uncertainly, unable to see the emotions in his eyes in the dark.

"I thought I'd lose you today…" he whispered, tightening his hold on her and brushing away her hair from her face. Would his insecurity ever leave him?

She sighed against his chest and smiled. Maybe they should just savor this moment of relief this way- with a bit of innocence and a bit of possessiveness.

**

* * *

One month later **

"That was so much fun! I can't wait to tell mom!" Adawna yelled in excitement as she ran up the stairs.

"Yeah, she'd like that." Justin yelled back, pausing at the middle of the staircase to catch his breath. "She'll be really proud of you when she knows that you have finally started to pull pranks on me."

Adawna rolled her eyes and rang the doorbell. "MOM! WE ARE HOME! MOM!" She rang the doorbell two more times, earning a "you have to learn to be patient" from Justin, but no response came.

"That's weird." Justin mumbled, walking up the stairs again, still panting. "She was on leave today, right?"

Adawna shrugged. "She must have fallen asleep or something. Or maybe she's listening to her i-pod again." She said, smiling.

Justin chuckled at the memory as he started unlocking the door with his key. "I've never forgotten my key after that… goodness! Sitting in front of the door for three hours! The neighbors thought she'd thrown me away!"

Adawna laughed. "Yeah, Mr. Smith actually started ranting about his evil sister… that was just _hilarious_."

Justin laughed too as they entered the apartment. "You go change; I'll go and find your mom." He said, as he walked towards her room.

* * *

Justin entered the room and looked around to see Alex sitting on the bed, clutching a pillow near her chest, sniffling and crying.

"Whoa! What happened?" he whispered, rushing up to her and wrapping her in an assuring hug. "Are you still worried about Adawna? Alex, you know Adawna is okay with-"

Alex shook her head and cut him off. "It's not that", she sobbed, pulling away from him and looking into his eyes. "I went out on shopping today… and I… I ran into… Jane and Jake…"

"Oh", breathed Justin, stroking Alex's hair in a loving manner. They had been missing their family so much. Even though they never talked about it, they both knew how the other one felt. "How are they?" he whispered, his eyes gleaming with tears. If he ever wanted to call someone his sister, it was Jane. Jane was the sister he never had… (And Alex was the sister he wished he never had. Life was that cruel.)

Alex smiled slightly through her tears. "Max and Jane are really happy…I mean I always knew they'd be happy… it's just nice to see her again…I never even got to thank her for all the things she did for us…and Jake is five now… he looks so similar to Max!"

Justin chuckled. "It feels like yesterday… it's so hard to believe that Max has a kid now…"

Alex nodded as she wiped her tears. "Jane is really nice… she was inviting us to go to their house… but I turned her down… I think mom and dad will be mad at them if we go there… I did the right thing, right Justin?" she asked softly, her voice low and unsure.

Justin nodded and gave her a proud smile. "Yes, you did the right thing Alex… Don't be upset…"

"I'm not upset about that." Alex said, shaking her head. "I'm worried about something else Justin…"

"Yeah?" he asked skeptically. Something about that look in her eyes scared him.

"Max has his own kid…" she sobbed, looking away and into the ground. "Don't you ever feel bad?"

"About what?" he questioned. Alex was not making any sense again. Why should he feel bad about Max having his own kid?

"About…" Alex gulped and took in a deep breath. "About not having your own kid…"

"Alex, Adawna _is_ my kid." Justin assured, squeezing her hands firmly.

"Yeah… I know… but… don't you ever feel like… I mean… Justin, I feel horrible…" she groaned, feeling upset with herself. Was she depriving him from something he deserved? "I have been so selfish… and… I… don't you ever feel like you want your own kid? As in… _your_ real kid?"

Justin shook his head instantly- he didn't even need to think about this. When he was with Juliet, he did dream about his own child, his own flesh and blood. Life never gave him his own child, but Adawna had filled that void. Honestly, he never even felt a void. The space Adawna occupied in his heart was more special than anyone else.

Whenever he took Adawna to the park, he would study the other fathers and daughters there. Till that day, he could never figure out any difference between them, and him and Adawna. It was the same universal feeling of fatherhood.

"Firstly, you know we can't have a kid. We share the same genes. We have been through this before Alex…" he scolded and then took in a deep breath. "And second, Adawna _is _my real kid. It's not always the relations of blood that matters, Alex; it's a relation of heart. She _is_ my daughter. We share that special bond of a father and daughter… I know her just as well as a father would. Like I know that right now she's standing outside the door and listening to our conservation."

When Justin completed, Adawna walked into the room, looking at the floor guiltily and smiling sheepishly. "On my defense, I just came to ask you to get me some food… I'm hungry."

"Save it." Justin said, holding up a finger to silence her. "How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop on people?"

"Sorry dad", Adawna mumbled, looking down. "You know I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay…" Justin assured. "But you have to learn to be obedient and civilized. You cannot be a brat all the time!"

"Yeah, whatever." Adawna scoffed non-chalantly, rolling her eyes. "I'm grounded for 3 weeks, right?"

"How did you come up with that?" Justin asked.

"Well, 1 week for eavesdropping on you guys before this. 1 week for eavesdropping on you guys now, and another week for the possibility of eavesdropping on you in the future?" Adawna explained.

"That's one week more than I would have come up with." Justin stated, smiling mischievously. "But good, we'll go with that." **("Wow. She's just like Alex!" Max gasps. "And you act just like dad!")**

"What! No! Daddy!" Adawna whined and stomped her foot.

"Come on now, Adawna's hungry. And so am I…Let's go and get some pizza… you're coming, right Alex?" Justin asked, offering his hand to her.

Alex nodded as she took his hand and got up. "Thanks Justin." She mumbled, leaning in close to him.

"No wait, don't kiss!" Adawna panicked, covering her eyes with her hands and running away from the room. "Okay, now you can go ahead." She yelled from the living room.

Justin chuckled as he gently pressed his lips against hers. "She took this rather well… I think she's right… We are just too obvious… we are always fighting, and teasing and-"

"-Justin?" Alex cut him off impatiently.

"Yeah?" he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Just shut up." Alex snapped before capturing his lips between her teeth.

_**Her lips still tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin… she was still a doll. His doll… **_

"_Walk with me for a while._

_Why do you look so scared?_

_Come, let me hide you in my arms._

_Come, let me decorate some dreams in your eyes..._

…_If you smile just a little,_

_My tomorrow brightens because of your smile._

_I just want this simple thing from life,_

_Nothing extravagant…_

_Don't stop in your path even if shadows stop you,_

_I am with you, your loneliness is not alone…_

_I am with you, I am your color,_

_I will pick dreams from your paths._

_Every moment will pass in such a way_

_That our love will just grow deeper…"_

_-an approximate translation of Mere Sang from New York_

_(Yes, New York is the name of a Bollywood movie :P)_

* * *

(A/N: I rewrote it and it got long again. *sigh* so again, 2 more chapters and epilogue left. LOL. **Review for faster update**. BTW, thanks for ALL the reviews guys!)


	23. Ch 22: Best friends forever

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the characters, except Adawna, or the song I have used at the beginning and the end. **

**Warning: long again. 2500 words I think.

* * *

**

**Chapter 22: best friends forever**

"_What is life without you?_

_You're the queen of my hearts,_

_The season of my happiness,_

_The protector of my aspirations, _

_The picture of my dreams._

_What is winning or losing without you?_

_Everything is with you,_

_Without you it's useless."_

_-An approximate translation of 'Bin tere' from Woh Lamhe. _

**

* * *

When Adawna was fourteen years old**

"Justin, we are fine. I didn't break anything, I swear!" Alex whined, talking with Justin on the phone.

"You want me to believe that?" Justin asked in disbelief.

"Yes?" Alex snapped. When Justin didn't reply, she sighed. "Okay fine, I kind of broke that vase in the front desk..."

"-YOU BROKE MY VASE!" Justin shrieked.

"-And that second photo frame on the wall kind of fell down…"

"-YOU BROKE MY FAVORITE PHOTO FRAME!" Justin shrieked again.

"-and that lamp you put in our room…"

"YOU BROKE MY LAMP!" He screamed.

"SEE, THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL YOU!" Alex yelled back.

Adawna shook her head and sighed, getting tired of her parents' antics. Did they have to fight even on the phone? Was it _that_ impossible to live without fighting with each other? Sighing heavily again, she got up from her seat and snatched the phone from her mother.

"Dad, relax, I fixed them with magic."

"YOU HAVE BEEN USING MAGIC WITHOUT SUPERVISION!" Justin panicked.

"Hey, mom was supervising me!" Adawna protested.

"ALEX TOLD YOU TO USE MAGIC?" Justin yelled again.

Alex groaned and glared at Adawna, mouthing a sarcastic 'thanks a lot' as she took the phone back from her.

"Justin, I… look, the important thing is, nobody got hurt… _yet_."

"You two better be alright when I get back, you hear me?" He warned, concern written all over his voice.

She nodded, trying to hide her grin from Adawna. "We'll be fine Justin… you take care too… Ok, so talk to you later?"

Adawna quirked up an eyebrow, mouthing a 'really?'.

Alex rolled her eyes and ignored her.

"Yeah… goodnight Alex… bye." He whispered back and hung up.

And once again, Adawna was left wondering why her parents never said the 'love you' parts in front of her. Those two weren't _that _shy!

**("Wait a second." Jane interrupts. "Your fights got resolved that easily? You never had any **_**real**_** fight?"**

**Adawna chuckles. "Which couple doesn't fight? Believe me Aunt J, you don't wanna know the details about their fights… every time they fought, I got so scared that I almost wanted to run away!"**

**Alex and Justin laugh. "Yeah… We've had a few pretty bad fights…" he admits.) **

* * *

Alex entered her room and slumped down on her bed. Adawna followed suit.

"What the hell-_heck_ are you doing in my room?" Alex demanded, turning around and facing her, greeting her with a cold glare.

"It's not your room." Adawna shot back. "It's dad's room…. All of these are."

Alex panicked. Was Adawna starting to think of him as a different family? Did she feel like she was a guest living in his house?

"So they are automatically my room." Adawna said, much to her mother's relief. "You know what dad says? Whatever is his is mine… well, if I can kept them undamaged." She finished with a frown, because honestly, she herself knew how impossible that was.

Alex laughed. Her little girl did have a habit of breaking a lot of stuff. _It's a wonder why Justin never grounded her for that… _

"No seriously, Adawna, what are you doing here?" Alex asked calmly, her eyes soft this time.

Adawna sighed. "I know you'll feel lonely and insecure without dad… thought I should stay with you…"

Alex stared at her daughter, eyes wide. Since when did she start paying attention to these details? When did she grow up? Shaking her head to snap out of her trance, Alex pulled the covers up to her waist. "Fine." She gave up without a fight.

Adawna turned off the light, both of them staring at the ceiling.

"Mom…" Adawna whispered after a few silent moments.

"Hmm?" Alex whispered back.

"Don't you ever miss your mother?" Adawna asked out of a sudden.

"W-What?" Alex stuttered, glancing at Adawna from the corner of her eye. "No." she replied, and gulped. "I mean why would I miss her? It's not like she cares or anything! She didn't bother to see how her own kids are doing in _13 years_! Why will I miss her?" she ranted, cringing when her voice cracked with tears.

Adawna looked at her mother softly, and gently stroked her hair. "How do you know they didn't forgive you?"

"There's nothing to forgive!" Alex yelled. "We didn't do anything wrong!"

Adawna gulped. Triggering her mother's guilt and denial was not what she had intended to do. _Maybe she should really start working on how to phrase sensitive questions properly…_

"What I meant is, how do you know they don't miss you when you haven't talked to them in years?"

Alex shook her head, no longer trying to hide her tears. "No… I… after they walked out on us, we swore we would never see them again. If they can't accept us, then we are not gonna talk to them either…. They don't matter anymore. You and Justin are the only family I have now…"

Adawna's eyes filled with tears as well. She had always felt awestruck when she thought about all of the things that her parents sacrificed for love. Even when it pained them to the core, they were still sticking to their vow and to each other.

Unable to find any words that might soothe her mother (honestly, are their any words that can heal the pangs of a daughter who misses her mother but cannot-will not go back?), she simply put her arms around her mother and hugged her close. "I love you mom…"

Alex hugged her back, finally feeling comforted. If there was one thing that she was thankful to Mike for, it was for giving her such a wonderful daughter. But honestly, would Adawna have been this Adawna if Justin didn't bring her up? 

* * *

**A few weeks later **

"Where's dad?" Adawna asked her mother, throwing her back-pack on the couch.

"Umm, he's grading papers in his room." Alex replied, feeling a bit confused about Adawna's sudden excitement. "Are you okay?"

Adawna didn't reply. She simply ran up to her dad's room. "Daddy! I did it! I got an A in Math!" she screamed, attacking him with a bear hug.

"I always knew you could do it." Justin replied, smiling proudly at her. "This calls for a celebration. Where do you want to go out for dinner?"

"Umm now?"

"What's wrong with now?" Justin asked, quirking an eyebrow to emphasize his confusion.

"Mom is already cooking. And you promised you'd teach me the new and improved truth spell today." She pointed out, grabbing her wand from her boot. "Come on!" she whined, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

Justin sighed dramatically- it was never a good idea to teach Adawna magic. If anyone was capable of causing more chaos with magic than Alex did, it was the person standing in front of him, trying to look innocent (_and failing. No one's a better actor than Alex, he'd grant that_.) "Why do you need that spell anyway?"

"I have stuff to do." Adawna replied, smiling mischievously and winking at him.

"What stuff?" Justin demanded, narrowing his eyebrows and trying to fix her with a 'spill-it-or-I-will-make-you-spill-it' look.

Adawna groaned and sat down on his bed, blushing slightly and looking here and there. "There's this guy at school that I like…."

"WHAT GUY?" Justin shrieked. "YOU CAN'T LIKE A GUY! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG!"

"I'm _fourteen_." Adawna protested, "And mom said I could date him."

"Really?" Justin said through gritted teeth, feeling enraged at the fact that Alex violated her promise of consulting things with him (_again_), "Did she say you could magic to find out if the guy likes you?"

Adawna shrugged.

"WHAT!" Justin shrieked. "ALEX!"

"I'M BUSY." Alex shouted from the kitchen. "COME OVER HERE."

Justin sighed and looked at Adawna. "Go to the lair. I'll catch up with you in a minute." Adawna nodded and got up quickly. "And don't touch anything", he added sternly, just to make sure that she didn't make all the potions burst (again).

* * *

"Alex!" Justin yelled, entering the kitchen. "Why did you tell Adawna that she's old enough to date?"

"Because she is. Pfft." Alex scoffed, wiping sweat off her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt.

"She's _fourteen_." Justin said, as if that explained everything and held up his handkerchief for her.

"-Which is when I started dating Riley." Alex rolled her eyes, snatching the handkerchief from him and wiping her sweat.

"And it didn't end well." He pointed out, glancing at the dinner from the corner of his eye and licking his lips**. ("Dork".)**

"Because I was in love with you." Alex snapped.

The bantering stopped instantly and they looked at each other. Were they supposed to get romantic while arguing about how to parent their daughter? 

"You cannot let her use magic for everything", Justin began ranting again, recollecting himself, not willing to let her manipulate him with her sweet, loving words. "She can't use magic to-"

He was cut off when Alex pushed him to the wall and crashed her lips on his. _**Her skin tasted her strawberry, chocolate, magic and a bit like sin.**_

**("And a bit like salt and sweat". He retorts. **

"**Let's get Alex a small kitchen with a small window." She shoots back sarcastically. **

"**Hey, you are the one who didn't want to move to another apartment!" he protests.)**

"Alex…" he whispered breathlessly. "It's not a good idea to let her date at this age…"

"She's waiting for you in the lair." Alex whispered back, heading back to the microwave. "Go before she catches us making out. Again."

* * *

Justin entered the lair and saw Adawna sitting in the chair, arms crossed in front of her chest. He took a deep breath and began, "Adawna, before you start dating someone, I want to talk to you about some things, okay?"

Adawna groaned in her seat. "No, daddy, please!"

Justin glared at her and began. "When a guy really likes you, he'd like you no matter what. So, don't change yourself for someone. Don't cross the limits, okay?"

Adawna rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Fine."

Justin nodded and sat down on his chair. "Now, tell me about this guy."

"What do you want to know?" Adawna asked nervously, licking her lips.

"Everything." Justin stated simply.

Adawna rolled her eyes. "Relax dork, I'm just going out with him. I'm not planning to marry him or something!"

"Stop calling me dork!" Justin yelped. "And I want the details." He demanded sternly, crossing his arms in front of him.

Adawna sighed, giving up, and put her legs on the coffee table. "His name is Mack. He's new at our High School. And he's really cute… and he's 13…he's a year junior to me."

"You want to date a younger guy?" Justin asked in confusion.

Adawna shrugged.

"And his parents are allowing him to date already?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Adawna shrugged again.

"I'd like to meet his parents." Justin announced.

"What! No! You can't do that!"

"Of course I can, I'm your fath…_uncle_."

Adawna gulped. That word stung in her ears just as much as it stung in his. Couldn't they just forgot the harsh truth and pretend that she was his real blood? Deciding it was best to stop the discussion here, she sighed. "Fine."

* * *

"Hi guys!" Adawna greeted, entering Mack's house and seeing him and his parents in the dinner table.

"Hey Adawna, you're right in time for mom's special snicker doodles!" Mack said excitedly.

Adawna scrunched up her nose in disgust. From her past experience, that wasn't something she was looking forward to.

"Where are your parents?" Mack's father asked.

"Oh, right" Adawna recollected herself, "Guys!" she yelled behind her shoulder. Justin and Alex entered the apartment.

"This is Mack ,that's his parents." Adawna introduced nervously. "And this is my mom-"

"Alex." Mack's mom cut her off.

"You know her?" Adawna asked in confusion, looking at her mother.

"Hey…. Harper." Alex breathed, managing to stand still.

"Justin!" Zeke greeted, running up to engulf him in a hug. "I missed you so much. Zing blada bla dah."

Justin stumbled back, overwhelmed by the sudden happenings. "Hey Zeke…" he whispered, hugging him back. "Missed you too…"

Adawna gulped. Who were these people?

Alex looked straight at Harper's eyes, not backing down, just like she didn't, some years back.

"Fourteen years, huh?" Harper asked, echoing her thoughts.

"Yeah, fourteen years." Alex replied calmly.

"And you didn't miss me?" Harper asked.

"I missed you if you missed me." Alex answered diplomatically, as always.

Harper nodded. "I missed you Alex…"

Alex stared at her in disbelief. Did she actually just say that?

"I still don't support what you did… But", Harper paused, taking in a deep breath. "I think I understand you guys now Alex…"

Alex looked at Justin in confusion. What was she saying?

"You're my best friend Alex…" Harper continued. "I shouldn't have flipped out on you like that… but I was freaked out and…. _Mack, Adawna, why don't you grab some snicker doodles while we talk_?"

"Yeah sure." Adawna agreed instantly_. Hey, getting rid of those horrible snicker doodles was more important than eavesdropping on her parents (again)!_

"She knows everything, right?" Harper asked, gesturing at Adawna's retreating figure.

Alex nodded.

"Well, if that little girl could forgive you, I don't see why we can't…" Harper said, smiling weakly.

"So… you don't hate me anymore?" Alex asked skeptically.

Harper shook her head. "I understand Alex."

Alex crashed into her best friend, hugging her tightly, letting years of tears flow.

The two men stood at the side, watching the teary re-union.

"How are mom and dad?" Justin asked softly all of a sudden.

Zeke patted his shoulder comfortingly. "They are doing fine… Max and Jane take really good care of them…"

Justin nodded, looking away to hide his tears. "Don't tell them I asked…" he whispered. Alex wasn't the only stubborn one. He was sticking by his vow too. If they didn't accept them, if they didn't care, he wasn't going to let them know that he missed them. 

Zeke nodded, and smiled, deciding to change the topic. "So, did you ever think that your daughter would go out with my son?"

Justin shook his head, chuckling. "No.. I actually thought our kids would be best friends, like us."

"Remember we used to talk about teaching our kids alien language?" Zeke asked excitedly.

Justin nodded.

"I totally taught him!" Zeke said.

Justin sighed sadly. "Alex didn't let me teach her anything alien… she says my scientific talk is alien enough… dude, did you see that new fembot?"

And just like that, things were normal again. A part of their life was _finally_ restored.

**("You didn't like my snicker doodles?" Harper asks her daughter-in-law now.**

**Adawna gulps, glaring at her father and mouthing a sarcastic 'thank you' in his direction. "Umm…" **

"**Harper, I don't like your snicker doodles either!" Alex snaps, rolling her eyes. "She's my daughter, she'll go after me, duh!"**

**Harper pouts sadly. "Fine…. As long as she admires my artwork, it's cool."**

"**Yeah, I really like your costumes." Adawna praises instantly. **

"_**Costumes**_**?" Harper asks incredulously. **

**Adawna gulps again. **_**She should really learn to think before speaking**_**. "Okay, so, who wants to hear the rest of the story?" she says, trying to change the subject. "Daddy, continue, **_**please**_**." She says, glaring at him threateningly.)**

"_Till the end I will be with you,_

_We will go where our dreams come true,_

_All the time that we have been through, _

_You will always be my best friend."_

_-A song from Pokemon

* * *

_

(A/N: there you go. 1 more chapter and the epilogue left. **Review for faster update**.)

(IMPORTANT: So, I'm thinking my next fanfic will be **'The world blurred'**. Please check the prologue and give me feedback. Or, if you have less time, you can **check out the trailer at youtube!** Yes, I made a video. My first video ever. **The link can be found in my profile. It's just 39 seconds** wouldn't take much of your life**… I want you to read the prologue and/or watch the trailer and vote on my profile, telling me if it should be angst or simple romance.) **


	24. Ch 23: A fairytale with a happy ending

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or the characters except Adawna, or the song I have used in the beginning. **

**Chapter 23: A fairytale with a happy ending**

"_Did you regret ever standing by my side?_

_Did you forget we were feeling inside?_

…_Did you regret ever holding my hand? _

_Never again, please don't forget, don't forget…_

_We had it all, we were just about to fall_

_Even more in love, than we were before._

_I wont forget, I wont forget about us." _

_-Don't forget, by Demi Lovato_

_(A BIG thanks to __**sandalaris **__for telling me about the song and sending me the link. _

_I am glad I got to know you girl!)_

**When Adawna was sixteen years old-**

"I need to talk to you." Adawna announced, walking into her parents' room.

Justin, sitting on the bed, nodded, and motioned for her to sit in front of him. Alex, sitting in front of the mirror, turned around and faced her.

"I… I think I'm falling in love with Mack…" Adawna announced.

Justin gasped. "Since when did you start talking about love? You're just a kid!"

Alex rolled her eyes at him and smiled at her daughter. "What took you so long to see this?"

Adawna sighed. "I'm really confused mom… I don't know how he feels. I mean, we've been going out for two years now, and he's always there for me… but he never said anything about getting serious… how do I know if he wants to go serious with me?"

Alex shrugged non-chalantly. "Try using the truth spell on him."

"Alex!" Justin snapped.

"Or maybe you can use a charm." Alex suggested.

"ALEX!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Alex huffed indignantly.

Justin glared at her and then looked at Adawna. "I think you need to talk to him… that's the best way to figure feelings out…"

Adawna nodded. "How did you figure out that mom loved you back?"

Justin shrugged. "I always knew."

"That's come with the part of us being siblings." Alex added.

Adawna stared at the wall in front of her. Now she understood. Their parents know each other better than themselves because of this blood, because they grew up with each other, because they were always there. The one reason that kept them forbidden was also the reason that made their love stronger. 

She nodded. "I'm going to talk to him tomorrow."

* * *

Justin wiped sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief, shifting his head in Alex's lap to look at his right side.

"Would you just relax?" Alex snapped in annoyance, looking up from the magazine she was reading. "She'll do just fine!"

"How can I relax?" Justin snapped back, stuttering a bit because of his nervousness. "She's my little girl. I don't want her to get hurt… I told you we shouldn't go out today!"

Alex pouted, battling her eyelashes. "But it's our anniversary."

The word anniversary sounded so weird to their ears. They never married- laws didn't allow them to. But they had set up this date as **their day.** This was the day when Alex had returned to his arms. This was the day when destiny had finally allowed them to be together. 

"Seventeen years, huh?" Justin said in awe, still unable to believe this wasn't a dream.

Alex looked down at him in confusion; grabbing his face and making him look at her. "What do you mean seventeen years? We've been together forever."

He smiled, pulling her down to lay a soft kiss on her nose. "You're mine. Remember that."

Alex rolled her eyes but smiled back. "Dork."

When they pulled back and looked in front of them, they found two people, standing still, staring at them, frozen in their place.

They had been so absorbed in each other that they hadn't even noticed their parents?

They froze too, unsure what to do or say, unsure what was happening. When they meet their parents after years, after years of them not caring, what were they supposed to do?

Justin snapped out of his trance first, sitting up instantly. "Come on Alex." He muttered, getting up and offering his hand to her. She took his hand, twining her fingers firmly around his, and got up. Hand in hand, they looked at their parents' eyes again, ready to walk away together. 

And that's when their saw the eyes of their parents, the eyes they grew up seeing, the eyes that were soft and comforting whenever they needed love and care, the eyes that glared at them when they got into trouble. Those eyes were the sweetest memories of their childhood. And now, those eyes looked broken, looked pained, looked broken. They couldn't look at those eyes, they couldn't- those eyes were piercing into their chest like bullets, triggering their guilt. Their eyes moved on the ground by themselves.

When they finally regained their breath, they noticed that they had let go of each other's hands by that moment.

"Alex." Jerry breathed, "Justin."

Their hearts stopped beating. Hearing their names on their father's lips after so many years had such effects on them that they never thought were possible. Tears were welling in her eyes, her vision blurring, a thin trail of tears flowing down her cheeks, her lips trembling at the salty taste. A lump was rising in his throat, as he breathed heavily, feeling he could faint any moment from then. 

"Mom..." Justin finally whispered, swallowing the lump on his throat, but his voice still cracked with his unshed tears. "Dad…"

The 'don't call us your parents' scream that he was expecting didn't come.

"You… you are still together." Jerry breathed, a look of confusion and disbelief in his eyes.

Justin gulped. "Yeah… we are. And we will be."

Jerry glanced at his wife and nodded. "I need to talk to you... I need to ask you something…" He said uneasily.

Justin and Alex glanced at each other. What were they going to ask them? Were they going to ask them why they did this? Why they fell in love with each other? Why they decided to stick by their love?

Honestly, did they have an answer for that?

Justin took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Justin... Are you happy with your sister?" Jerry questioned, his voice faint, his eyes closed.

Justin gulped hard, trying to contemplate what to say. How was he going to say that he was happy? How was he going to say he was happy even after tearing his family apart? How was h going to say that he didn't care that he had hurt the people that mattered the most to his heart?

"Tell me the truth... I need to know…" Jerry demanded.

Justin looked at Alex. Her face had turned pale in fear and anticipation, her eyes fearful as well. How could he not be happy with someone who loved him so much? "Yes." He answered firmly.

"Do you ever regret it?" Jerry asked again.

Alex inhaled sharply. This was the one question that scared her the most. Did Justin ever regret giving up every thing for her? Did he want to go back and change all of it? Did he forget their love? Honestly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Justin shook his head. He didn't even have to think. How could he regret the best decision he had taken in his life, the one time he had listened to his heart? "**No**…"

Alex let out the breath that she had been holding back. He didn't. He loved her.

Jerry sighed, and a smile formed in his quivering lips. "Good… that's exactly how I feel about your mother…"

Alex gasped, looking back and forth between her father and brother.

"W-w-what?" Justin stuttered in confusion.

"I gave up my powers and never regretted it, Justin. I am happy with her, very, very happy." He said, looking up at Theresa with a smile. "That's how you know it's real…"

Alex let out a sob.

"So…you are not mad at us?" Justin asked, looking hopefully at his father.

Jerry shook his head slightly. "At first, I was... But now... No... You are my kids… I forgive you."

Justin exhaled too, finally feeling relieved.

"Me too." His mother whispered, looking lovingly at them.

Alex rushed into her father's arms and hugged him, while Justin did the same to his mother. They finally understood. They finally understood!

The teary re-union was broken by a snort from across the park.

"I told you that you should talk to them." Adawna snapped, leaning lazily against the tree.

Justin looked at her in surprise and confusion, then narrowed his eyebrows together. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"Maybe I just called them up telling them to come to the park…" Adawna said, not meeting her father's gaze.

Before she knew it, Justin and Alex pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to us!"

"Actually, I do." Adawna said, smiling gently as tears formed in her eyes. "I don't think I can live without you mom, dad, not even for a day."

Alex smiled. "Don't worry. You will never have to… I would be cool with whoever would date."

"I am not!" Justin snapped. "She's my little girl! She can't go out with wrong guys!"

"Guys relax." Adawna whined. "I am not going out with anyone but the one who loves me."

Justin and Alex pulled back and looked at her curiously.

Adawna nodded, an excited grin in her lips. "He loves me! This… this whole thing… it's just a big fairytale…"

Justin nodded. Their life was no less than fairytale, because in the end, it ended happily.

* * *

"Easy daddy." Alex scolded as she helped her father sit on the dinner table.

"Thanks sweetie." Jerry said, sitting down. "But it's so hard to resist the smell of pizza…"

Theresa frowned at him. "What did the doctors say, Jerry? No junk food!"

"Max, that's not the proper spell." Justin said, talking to his brother and entering the living room/dining space. "Alex, where's Adawna?" he asked, stopping in his tracks and looking around.

"What!" Alex yelled. "I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on her."

"I was keeping an eye on Max.." He yelled back.

"That's his wife's job now. Not yours."

"Sorry if they are not here right now!"

"Ugh. Justin! How can you be so irresponsible?"

"Me?" Justin scoffed indignantly. "What about you?"

"Umm, I'm just going to remove these breakable stuff", Theresa said, placing the glasses in a tray, "you know, just get it out of the way…"

"How can you be so reckless Alex?" Justin scolded, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "How could you let Adawna wonder around? What if she decides to do magic? She can burn the whole apartment down!"

"I heard that." Adawna snapped, entering the dining room and sitting down on a chair.

"And where the hell were you?" Alex demanded.

"Watch your language Alex." Justin warned.

Alex rolled her eyes at him and glared at Adawna, as she sat down on a dining chair.

Adawna shrugged and started sniffing the food. "I was just checking out your old room, mom… and boy, dad is right. It is messier than my room! And I thought that wasn't possible, huh?" she scoffed, as Max laughed and settled down too.

Justin smiled and looked at his family- his father, his mother, his brother, his Alex (_could he assign one relation to her?_), his daughter. It was so picture perfect… just like fairy-tales. Tiny little dolls sitting down together and eating happily…

_**Who said dolls couldn't have happy endings?**_

_"I'm in love with a fairytale_  
_Even though it hurts._  
_'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind_  
_I'm already cursed."_

_-Fairytale by Alexander Rybak_

_(Thanks to Baku Babe for sending me the song)_

_**

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**(A/N: There you go. It's over. :( Please review guys! And watch out for the epilogue, it's gonna be grand.)**


	25. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own wowp or the characters except Mike and Adawna, and the dialog at the beginning.**

**Warning: very emotional and meaningful chapter. Read each line if you want to feel it. Long authors notes at the bottom.

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"**Like our movies, in our lives too, everything becomes all right by the end. Happy endings. And if it doesn't, then the movie isn't over yet, my friend." **

**- An approximate translation of a dialog from the Bollywood super hit "Om Shanti Om."

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**Epilogue- Year 2040**

Justin watched the dry leaves fall from the trees as he walked through the empty street in the early morning. He had woken up early in the morning, feeling unusually peaceful, and gone out for a walk down the street, leaving Alex a message on her voicemail (because he knew that Alex wouldn't take the trouble of reading a note.)

Every year, he would watch leaves fall from the trees, and new ones grow in their place. This gave him a sense of renewal, a sense of refresh ness, a sense of restoration.

Life was running smoothly for him again, just like in any 'normal' family. Their life had been restored- they had got back everything that mattered. Everything was fine.

Years had passed without any noteworthy trouble. (The huge argument he had with Alex about whether Adawna should go to an art college or a science college doesn't count, because in the end, she actually chose music and Justin and Alex actually joined forces to fight with Adawna about how she almost tore her parents apart!) Nothing much had changed, except their age. Every morning, Justin would wake up and look at the calendar, unable to believe that he had passed so many years on this earth- unable to believe that he had passed so many years with Alex. As he entered his fifties, he could slowly feel death approaching him, even though he knew it was years away- even his old parents hadn't died yet. He would pray to God everyday that either he and Alex should die together, or Alex should die first, because he knew that even with everyone around her, she wouldn't be able to live without him. He would suffer without her as well, but he was ready to take any pain. 

He would wake up every morning to the sound of his alarm and Alex's groans, and smile as he looked at his angel, laying a soft kiss on her forehead as she groaned and covered her eyes with a pillow to shut out the lights. He would brush his teeth and take medicines for his diabetes and high blood pressure (yes, Alex and her regular arguments should be blamed for this, but he didn't care.) And then, he would rush into what used to be Adawna's room, before she went to college. She had left her keys with him, to grant him access to any memory he wanted to revisit. He'd open her closet, take out the two familiar dolls and look at them with his tear-filled eyes. The hair on the dolls' head had vanished (Adawna tore them out when she was still a kid, and of course she got away because of that puppy face), the clothes stained with paint. Yet, the dolls still felt like they did years back- the dolls still felt like their childhood days. 

She would catch him staring at the dolls sometimes, and tease him relentlessly about it, stopping only when her back hurt and she needed a massage.

His hairline was thinning; her hair had shown streaks of grey which she skillfully painted blonde. Years of chocolate had finally gotten to her and she had three teeth taken out. When he looked at the hollow space between two teeth on her upper jaw, he would instantly remember the six year old girl who had come running to his room after losing her first baby tooth. When she couldn't walk properly because of her arthritis, he would take her hand in his, supporting her, helping her, just like he did years back when she was learning to walk.

Even after gaining so much weight and losing her perfect figure- she was still the most beautiful girl-woman he had ever seen. **She was still a doll. His doll... **

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"I have something to say." Adawna announced at dinner one night.

"Okay," Alex nodded, already knowing what was coming.

"I think I'm finally ready to marry Mack." She announced, looking at her father.

"Are you sure?" he asked, feeling strange to know that his little girl had grown up.

"Yeah." Adawna nodded. "I've never been more sure in my life dad."

When the dinner was over, Justin pulled the two women into a hug.

"**Why are we hugging?" Adawna asked in an irritated tone. **

"**Because that's what normal families do." Justin replied. **

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"Are you ready honey?" Justin asked, walking into his little girl's room. His eyes were tear-stricken again when he noticed how beautiful she looked in that wedding dress.

"Yeah, just one more thing to do", Adawna said softly, as she opened her closet and pulled out the two all-too-familiar dolls. Her eyes glittered with moisture as she hugged them one last time and placed them in her old and abandoned doll-house.

"Let's go." She announced, looking at her father with resolution.

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If Alex thought that Justin was saving his money for their old age, she was so wrong! Adawna's wedding was the most extravagant wedding she had even seen, and she wasn't sure if she should shout at him for such wastage of money or thank him for making her daughter's most special day more special.

"Can't think of the right insult?" he teased, standing beside her.

"No, actually I'm thinking whether I should start with the lights or the floral decoration." She shot back.

He smirked. "Yeah, I know, it's all so perfect."

She shoved his arm playfully, as she looked at her daughter and the excited smile on her daughter's lips, and her eyes filled with tears . For once in her life, she was jealous of her daughter, for reasons more serious than simple wedding decorations. 

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled softly at her.

Yeah, who cares about some stupid wedding thing, as long as they can have their graves side by side? 

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Justin excused himself from the family, as he saw a figured standing in the side, its face carefully hidden behind a robe. He walked up to the person and smiled.

"Thanks for walking Adawna down the aisle for me." Mike said, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.

"It's my honor." Justin said sincerely. "But are you sure you don't want to talk to her?"

Mike shook his head. "No Justin, I don't want them to know I'm still alive… I know they'll never be able to trust me, I don't want them to live with fear…. Thanks for lying for me… I still don't understand why you saved me that day."

Justin closed his eyes tightly to shut out the memories of that day. "Nobody deserves to die Mike… I know you did some horribly wrong stuff, but even you deserved a happy life."

At this, Mike looked at his watch, his tear-filled eyes hidden by the robe. "I better get going… Emily might be worried."

Justin nodded.

"I hope I will see you someday again." Mike said softly, pulling Justin into a good-bye hug.

Justin chuckled as he hugged him back. "Don't worry buddy, we'll definitely meet in Hell."

After he pulled back and Mike walked away, Justin looked at Alex, sitting with Harper and Jane, narrating something to them as Harper shuddered, Jane gasped, and Alex giggled.

Yeah, Hell was definitely going to be a beautiful place. 

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Justin was sitting at the empty room of his little girl, eyes fixed at the dollhouse yet comprehending nothing. **("It's called psychological blindness" he says with a smug look**.) He had just married off his daughter a few hours back. She wasn't his own blood (well, maybe as his niece, but not as his daughter. There's a difference, a difference that he never felt, a difference that he never understood, but a difference never-the-less). She wasn't his legal daughter (he could adopt her, but then Alex wouldn't be her mother legally anymore, or something like that, it was too complicated.) Yet, she was his own. And she just had the dream wedding that he could never have. 

Alex entered the room silently and sat down beside him, her own teary eyes fixed on the doll-house in front of her.

"They grow up so fast." She whispered, remembering the day when Adawna was running around the house, breaking stuff.

He looked at her and smiled slightly. "_You_ grew up just as fast."

Alex smiled back at him, as she leant her head on his shoulder, just like she had seen in the crystal ball years back, and looked back at the dollhouse in front of her, where 'Alex' was leaning her head on 'Justin's shoulder. This moment would definitely be framed in their minds forever. Justin put an arm around her shoulder and smiled, closing his eyes peacefully.

_**Who said dolls couldn't have a happy ending? She was a doll. His doll. Her lips tasted like strawberry, chocolate, magic, and a bit like sin….. **_

**("Why did you name me Adawna? I couldn't even say my name properly till I was seven!" she still complains to her daddy**.)

_*The end*_

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(A/N: This is over. This has been such an emotional journey for me, I feel so sad to know this is over. :( Please leave me reviews and let me know what you thought of this epilogue and this fic.

**Thanks to everyone for all the reviews (339 till now), all the hits(20318 so far)****, and all the alerts (60) and favorites(59 till now). Honestly, I never thought I'd get so many of these. All of you have been so nice to me, thank you so much. You guys made me believe that I can write, and I owe to you all for the confidence I found in me. **

I will be starting a new jalex soon. It's called 'the world blurred'. Hopefully you'll like that too. Updates will be twice a month because life is going to get busy, and I never update until I go through chapters properly. That is my last jalex for this year :P If you send me PMs, etc, please be patient and wait for me to get online. My life is going to get a LOT hectic from July.

Special thanks should go out to 5 very special girls. In no particular order-

**Jalex232- **You remind me of myself when I was your age. You're such a sweet friend. Thank you for all the support. =)

**ShortLiLPunk- **Even though your own story is doing extremely well, you show no hint of arrogance. You are one of the nicest and most down-to-earth people I have met here. I'm glad to get a buddy like you =)

**Baku babe- **Not only did you read and review all my jalexes (even the horrible ones LOL) and gave me links to so many songs, I actually had a lot of fun PMing you about jalex, dalena, Pokemon, etc. Thanks for always been there and thanks for being a great friend. =)

**Thunderthighs- **she never reads my fics (well, except the Alex x Stevie one), but she's one of my best tweet buds. I have a lot of fun time tweeting her, and having playful ship-wars. Thanks for being such an awesome friend-slash-tweet sis.

**Sandalaris- **She doesn't read my fics, but we are tweet buds. She's also one of the nicest and most down-to-earth people I have ever met**. I learnt to respond to reviews from her.** I am following in her footsteps, LOL. But really, she's too nice. Thanks for teaching me how to deal with flames, helping me with this and that whenever I asked for help. =) )


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